Man sentenced to death for killing wife over dowry in Kamrangirchar

A court finds him guilty of killing his wife in 2012 after repeated abuse over dowry money and a house in her name

A Dhaka court has sentenced a man to death for killing his wife over dowry in Kamrangirchar in 2012.

Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4 Judge Munshi Md Mashiar Rahman delivered the verdict on Sunday.

Rashedul Islam, bench assistant to the court, said convict Sayed Ahmed was also fined Tk 200,000.

The court ordered that the fine be realised by selling his movable and immovable property and handed over to the victim’s son through the Dhaka district magistrate, he added.

Sayed was present in court when the verdict was announced. He was sent to jail afterwards.

According to the case dossier, Sayed married Rehana Begum on Jun 25, 2010. After the marriage, he repeatedly beat her, demanding dowry money and that a house in Rehana’s name be transferred to him.

On Sep 29, 2012, Rehana’s mother Rezia Begum went to the house in Kamrangirchar that she had bought for her daughter.

After repeated calls, Sayed opened the door, the case statement said. Rezia then saw Sayed and his brother Shafi Ahmed inside and found Rehana lying there with her son.

When she tried to wake her daughter, she found her body cold and saw reddish marks on her face. Rehana was not breathing, prompting Rezia to scream, according to the case details.

Neighbours who gathered advised that Rehana be taken to the hospital, but Sayed and Shafi blocked them from doing so, the complaint said.

A woman named Kulsuma later told Rezia that the couple used to quarrel over demands to transfer the house as dowry and that Rehana had been beaten that morning.

Rezia later lost consciousness, the case said. After regaining consciousness, she learnt Rehana had been taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Sayed and Shafi told her that Rehana had suffered a stroke and then hurriedly buried her at Azimpur graveyard.

Rezia first went to Kamrangirchar Police Station to file a case, but police did not record it. She then filed a case with the tribunal on Oct 9, 2012, against Sayed and Shafi.

The tribunal ordered Kamrangirchar police to investigate. In a report submitted on Oct 16, 2012, police said Rehana’s body could be exhumed and sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for a post-mortem.

Rezia later challenged that report, after which the court ordered the CID to conduct a further investigation.

CID Inspector Lutfar Rahman investigated the case and submitted a report accusing Sayed, but found no evidence against Shafi.

The tribunal later framed charges against Sayed and began the trial.

During the proceedings, the court heard testimony from 11 witnesses. After recording the defence statement and hearing final arguments, the tribunal delivered its verdict on Sunday.