Relatives of 25-year-old housewife Fahmida Tahsin Keya staged a protest in front of Mirpur police station on Friday evening after authorities allegedly refused to allow her children to see their mother’s body following her mysterious death.
Keya’s maternal uncle Samsuddoha told Times of Bangladesh that the post-mortem of was completed around 2 pm on Friday. The body is set to be taken to the family home in Narsingdi for burial.
However, Keya’s four children — Sadia (11), Saeed (7), Sajid (5), and one-and-a-half-year-old Sayan — are reportedly being kept at a house in Mirpur.
According to Samsuddoha, Keya’s mother-in-law, Deepa Bhuiya, who is named as the second accused in the murder case, is preventing the children from seeing their mother. Another accused, Mahabub, is also reportedly staying in the same house with the children.
A murder case was filed late Thursday night against Keya’s husband Sifat Ali (30) and eight others. The case was lodged by Keya’s mother, Nazma Begum, at Mirpur Model Police Station. Sifat Ali has been named the prime accused, but none of the suspects had been arrested as of Friday.
Mirpur Model Police Officer-in-Charge Sazzad Roman confirmed that the case was registered following Nazma Begum’s complaint. Nine people, including Keya’s husband and their driver, have been accused, and authorities are attempting to apprehend them using technological assistance.
Relatives allege that Keya was strangled to death due to family disputes. They claim Sifat Ali informed them by phone about her illness and later fled the scene after her death. A police source on Friday said Sifat Ali had been apprehended and was under questioning.