Husband and his friend stand trial in actress Shimu murder case

Police said husband Nobel murdered Shimu over ‘marital strife’ and hid the body with his friend’s help

A Dhaka court has opened trial proceedings in the murder of Dhallywood actress Raima Islam Shimu with her husband and his friend as accused.

On Tuesday, Dhaka Fourth Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Shafiqul set Jan 3 as the date to begin witness deposition.

Additional Public Prosecutor Bimal Samaddar said the charges framed against Shimu’s husband Shakawat Alim Nobel and his friend SMY Abdullah Farhad were read out during the hearing.

The investigation officer, Shahidul Islam, an inspector from Keraniganj police, submitted charges to the court in August.

The 40-year-old actor, who lived with her husband and two children in Dhaka’s Green Road, did not return home after going out on Jan 16 and Nobel filed a general diary with Kalabagan police the following day.

Police found the body hidden in a sack on the side of a road near Aliapur in the Hazratpur Bridge area of Keraniganj that day. Police arrested Nobel and his childhood friend Farhad that night.

Police said Shimu and Nobel were experiencing “marital strife” over a range of family issues, leading Nobel to kill her and hide the body with Farhad’s help.

Shimu made her film debut in Kazi Hayat’s film ‘Bartaman’ in 1998. She starred in 25 films with noted directors, including Delwar Jahan Jhantu, Chashi Nazrul Islam, and Sharifuddin Khan Dipu. An associate member of the Bangladesh Film Artistes Association, Shimu also worked on TV drama projects.