Mason killed former DU teacher Sayeda Khaleque during mugging: police

A construction worker killed former Dhaka University teacher Professor Sayeda Khaleque while robbing her of money she was carrying for the construction of her building in Gazipur, according to police.

Anwarul Islam (right), the suspected murderer of Professor Sayeda G Khaleque, a former Dhaka University teacher, was arrested in Gaibandha.

Professor Sayeda G Khaleque

Ex-DU teacher found dead in Gazipur jungle

The suspect, Anwarul Islam, a mason, confessed to murdering Prof Sayeda after his arrest at his native village in Gaibandha’s Sadullapur Upazila on Thursday night, said Dipankar Roy, a sub-inspector at Kashimpur Police Station.

Information teased out from Anwarul led to the recovery of Prof Sayeda’s body from a jungle near her home at Dakkhin Panishail in Kashimpur on Friday morning, according to Abu Sayem Nayan, an assistant commissioner at Gazipur Metropolitan Police.

Prof Sayeda, 71, lived alone on the first floor of a three-storey building in the neighbourhood. She was constructing a building in a housing project there after retiring from the university’s nutrition and food science department in 2016. Anwarul worked at her building site.

Prof Sayeda’s son lives in Dhaka’s Motijheel, a daughter in Uttara and two other daughters in Australia. Her late husband Kibriaul Khaleque also taught at Dhaka University.

Professor Sayeda G Khaleque

One of her daughters, Sadia Afrin, filed a general diary at the police station on Wednesday, saying she had gone missing and her phone was unreachable from Monday.

During investigation, police found that all the workers, including Anwarul, left the construction site on Monday and returned on Tuesday morning, but Anwarul did not join work.

Tracking his mobile phone, police detained and interrogated him in Gaibandha on Thursday night, Assistant Commissioner Nayan said. The suspect later admitted to killing the former teacher, the police officer said.

SI Dipankar said Sayeda was returning home from the building site with money to buy construction materials.

“Anwarul admitted that he tried to snatch away the money from Sayeda at a secluded place near her home. After she cried for help, Anwarul strangled her with her scarf and left for Gaibandha with the money.”

Police did not say how much money Anwarul allegedly robbed, or whether the cash was recovered.

The body was sent to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.