Afra Ibnat Khan Iqra, wife of television actor Zaher Alvi, has died in what police are initially treating as a suicide. Following her death, allegations of marital discord have surfaced, with members of Iqra’s family claiming that personal issues within the marriage may have contributed to the tragedy.
The incident occurred at the couple’s residence in Mirpur DOHS at approximately 12:15 pm on Saturday. At the time, Zaher Alvi was in Nepal for the shooting of an Eid drama, ‘Dekha Holo Nepale’. He is expected to return to Dhaka on Sunday and, according to close associates, will speak publicly after his return. An autopsy is scheduled to take place at Shahid Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital.
Iqra’s mother, Rebeka Sultana, along with other relatives and friends, has alleged that tensions arising from an alleged extramarital relationship involving the actor had deeply affected her. They claim that the emotional strain may have played a role in her death. These allegations have not been independently verified.
However, one of Iqra’s close friends, Samia Alam, has questioned whether she would have taken such a step. Samia said she, Iqra and another friend, Khadija Lupin, had maintained a close friendship for over a decade and regularly communicated through a private Facebook group.
According to Samia, the three friends had been chatting in the group on Saturday morning. At 10:46 am, Iqra reportedly messaged that she was planning to travel to Nepal and confront someone she was upset with. Her friends believed she was speaking in anger and attempted to calm her down. They were scheduled to attend an Iftar gathering at Iqra’s residence later that day.
“After 10:46 am, she did not send any further messages,” Samia said. “At around 1:27 pm, Lupin tried contacting her, but by then everything had already happened.”
Samia also stated that she contacted a household assistant, Arko, to confirm the news. She claimed the assistant told her that Alvi had called from Nepal, asking him to check on Iqra, reportedly saying she was behaving unusually. At the time of the incident, Iqra and Alvi were said to have been speaking over the phone, though this has not been officially confirmed.
Samia further mentioned that Iqra had recently moved into a separate room within the house and had been considering divorce. According to her, discussions had taken place among friends about future plans, including business ventures and arrangements regarding their son, Rijik.
“As far as I know, she was not someone who would take her own life,” Samia said. “We believed she was trying to make decisions about her future. What happened during that final phone conversation is something none of us know.”
Police have stated that investigations are ongoing to determine the exact circumstances surrounding Iqra’s death.
