Gazipur: The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has arrested three people, including the 'boyfriend' of a woman whose dismembered body was found in a briefcase and a plastic sack in a canal in Gazipur, for their alleged involvement in her murder and disposal of the body. The arrestees are Mishon Islam, 22, 'boyfriend' of the deceased; his mother Banu Akter, 43; and Mishon's friend Mizanur Rahman Milton, 24.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the body of Doly Akter, 30, was recovered on September 11 from a canal on the western side of the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway near Hamza Apparels Limited in the Bhabanipur area under Joydebpur Police Station. In a press release issued on Monday, the PBI said all three accused had given confessional statements before a court under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Based on information obtained from the accused, investigators recovered the kitchen cleaver (boti) allegedly used in the murder, remnants of adhesive tape used to wrap the body, the victim's National Identity (NID) card, a mobile phone, and a pair of shoes.
Following reports about the recovery in the media and on social media, PBI Gazipur launched an investigation. Through crime scene analysis, information technology, intelligence gathering, and local sources, investigators identified the victim as Dolly Akter, 30, and traced the circumstances surrounding her death, according to the PBI. Dolly lived alone in a rented house in the Memberbari area of Baniarchala in Joydebpur. She was divorced, the PBI said. Her elder brother Sohel, 44, filed a case with Joydebpur Police Station on September 12 against unidentified people, accusing them of murder and concealing the body.
Police Inspector Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman Ansari of PBI Gazipur is investigating the case under the supervision of PBI Gazipur Superintendent of Police Rakibul Akter. Milton was arrested around 3:30pm on September 12, while Mishon and his mother Banu were arrested around 4:30pm the same day, it said. Following their interrogation, PBI investigators raided Mishon's rented house and recovered the boti, remnants of Scotch tape, Dolly's NID card, a used mobile phone, and a pair of shoes. Investigators have also collected information about the purchase of a suitcase and obtained CCTV footage, the PBI said.
According to the PBI, Mishon and Dolly had been in a relationship for around five years after meeting while working at the same garment factory. Dolly frequently visited Mishon's rented house. On the night of September 8, Dolly went to Mishon's house, where she had dinner with Mishon and his mother. After Banu went to sleep in an adjacent room, Mishon and Dolly remained in the same room, the PBI said. According to Mishon's statement, he had been upset over disputes concerning their marriage and other issues. He decided to kill Dolly and gave her sleeping pills and allergy medication.
After she fell asleep, Mishon strangled her with a lungi around 2am and later suffocated her with a pillow. He then hid the body under the bed, according to the PBI. Mishon later bought a suitcase to dispose of the body and as the body did not fit inside the suitcase, he cut it into two pieces at the waist using a blade and a boti. One part was placed inside the suitcase, while the other was wrapped in polythene and put into a plastic sack, according to the PBI investigation. Mishon then called Milton on the pretext of helping him move house. Milton helped load the suitcase and sack onto an auto-rickshaw. They first travelled to Rajendrapur and later went to the Bhabanipur area in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw. Mishon and Milton then threw the suitcase and sack into the canal near Bhabanipur Bridge.
PBI Gazipur SP Rakibul Akter said identifying the victim was initially difficult as the body was unidentified and partially decomposed. The three accused have been produced before the court, and the investigation is continuing. The PBI is also investigating whether anyone else was involved in the murder and examining other evidence and aspects of the case, the SP said.