Husband says suicide, family claims murder

A mother of four was found dead under mysterious circumstances at her home in Dhaka's West Shewrapara early today, with her husband now on the run.

The deceased was identified as Fahmida Tahsin Keya, wife of one Sifat Ali.

The husband told his in-laws that Keya died by suicide, claiming she hanged herself from a ceiling fan with a scarf, while her family members alleged that Sifat strangled her to death following a family dispute.

Keya's father Rafiqul Islam said Sifat phoned his mother-in-law Nazma Begum around 2:00am and said Keya was seriously ill and she should go to the house. At one stage, Sifat said, "Your daughter is no more," the father quoted him as saying.

"Nazma and her husband rushed to the flat but did not find their daughter there. When we called him again, he asked us to go to BRB Hospital in Panthapath. Doctors declared her dead there."

"We saw his friend and driver there, but Sifat was not present," he said, adding that Sifat, along with his sister and brother-in-law, fled following the murder.

Rafiqul said, "Sifat had an irritable temperament and often abused my daughter in front of their children. Recently, he physically tortured my daughter. Following the assault, my daughter told me that she could no longer continue the marriage and wanted to return home, but we persuaded her to stay as she was the mother of four children. I also asked Sifat not to torture my daughter."

"But in the end, he strangled her to death and tried to pass it off as a suicide," Rafiqul told The Daily Star.

Speaking to reporters at the house, Keya's mother said all arrangements had been made in the kitchen, including chicken prepared for cooking with the meat already cut into pieces. "How could a woman take her own life after making such preparations?" she asked.

Keya left behind one daughter and three sons.

Sub-inspector Rokonuzzaman of Mirpur Police Station said they sent the body to Dhaka Medical College morgue for autopsy. The deceased's husband went into hiding after the incident, the SI said.

It is not yet clear whether it is a suicide or a murder. The cause of death will be determined after inquest, autopsy, and further police investigation, he added.