Actress Shimu's dismembered body found, husband and his friend arrested

Police have arrested Shakhawat Ali Nobel, the husband of film actress Raima Islam Shimu. and his friend ‘Farhad’ over her murder.

They were arrested from Dhaka’s Kalabagan and police have found some evidence of the killing, said Dhaka District Police Superintendent Maruf Hossain Sarder.

Shimu’s dismembered body was found in gunny sacks near Hazratpur Bridge in the Aliyapur area of Keraniganj on Monday after locals reported the matter to police.

Her brother Shahidul Islam identified the body at the Mitford Hospital morgue on Monday, said Abu Salam Mia, chief of Keraniganj Model Police Station.

The actress left home on Sunday morning saying she was going to a film shoot in Mawa and never came back. Her husband filed a general diary over the incident.

Six people were named in the case filed over Shimu’s murder, said her brother Shahidul Islam Khokon. Nobel and Farhad were named as the prime suspects. Their driver has been named in the case as well and police found blood in the back seat of the car.

Actor Zayed Khan accompanied Khokon to the police station. Many film industry insiders said Shimu had a conflict going on with Zayed Khan over membership in the Bangladesh Film Artistes Association.

Khan, however, brushed aside the allegation, saying he had never spoken to Shimu, even over the phone, in the last two years. These were all conspiracies against him, he said.

Shimu's film debut came in Kazi Hayat’s ‘Bartaman’ in 1998. She has since worked on as many as 25 films with noted film directors including Delwar Jahan Jhantu, Chashi Nazrul Islam, and Sharifuddin Khan Dipu.

She was an associate member of the Bangladesh Film Artistes Association. In addition to films, she also worked in TV dramas and produced as well.