His son says the former brigadier general lost millions due to fraudsters
Published : 02 Apr 2024, 03:03 AM
A retired army officer's body has been recovered from a house in the DOHS area of Mirpur and the police believe it is a case of suicide.
Brigadier General Mohammad Habibur Rahman retired from the army in 2014. He lived in the DOHS area of Mirpur with his wife. His two sons study abroad.
Pallabi Police Station OC Apurba Hasan told bdnews24.com they found a diary in the house which contains information about a significant amount of debt owed by Habibur Rahman.
Daily Prothom Alo quoted one of Habibur Rahman's sons who resides in Canada as saying the former army officer lost millions of taka to a scam ring.
Police say, last Sunday, when the family members saw the door to his room was locked and received no response from Habibur despite calling out to him, they pushed open the door and found his body hanging with a ceiling fan. They then informed the police.
OC Apurba told bdnews24.com that they found Habibur dead. His body was later taken down and handed over to the family after the autopsy on Sunday.
He was buried at the Banani Military Graveyard on Monday.
"It seems like he died by suicide at first glance. However, we have not dug deeper yet. It is under investigation," said the OC.
Though no suicide note was found, a diary was discovered in the house, revealing significant debts. "He owed a lot of money. Someone was to receive 5 lakh, another 7 lakh, and another 10 lakh taka according to the diary. We believe these frustrations contributed to the suicide," added the police officer.
Quoting Habibur's younger son, Sayed Mohammad Nazmul Habib, the Prothom Alo report says that in 2021, his father fell victim to a scam ring. He later sold assets and handed over about Tk 80 million to the scammers. 'Members of law-enforcing agencies were also involved' with the scam ring.
Nazmul Habib told Prothom Alo, "I had advised him to file a complaint with the police as soon as I found out. But my father said he would end his own life if the police were informed. And my mother and older brother did not tell anyone because they were afraid of losing their honour."
The son has demanded that those involved be identified and brought under the law.
OC Apurba said a case of unnatural death has been filed at the police station in connection with the passing of Habibur.
When asked about the son's allegations, he told bdnews24.com, "We do not yet know if anyone has committed fraud. Nothing else was found in the house. He did not share everything with his wife either. Maybe we will find more information if we investigate a bit more."