A quarrel over the theft of just Tk2,000 spiralled into one of the most chilling double murder in recent memory, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said on Thursday.
A Dhaka court granted a six-day remand for housemaid Ayesha and a three-day remand for her husband Rabbi Shikder.
Housemaid Ayesha, who had been hired only days earlier, stabbed 48-year-old Laila Afroz and her 15-year-old daughter Nafisa inside their Mohammadpur flat—before slipping into the girl’s school uniform and fleeing with stolen valuables.
DMP’s Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations), SN Md Nazrul Islam, disclosed the details at a press briefing. He said the family had kept no photo, NID, mobile number or any form of identification for Ayesha, making the manhunt unusually difficult.
How the murders unfolded
Investigators pieced together the timeline step by step.
Ayesha began working at the flat on 5 December. On her second day, 6 December, she stole Tk2,000. When Laila confronted her the next morning, an argument broke out. Police say Ayesha feared being handed over to authorities.
On the day of the killings, she arrived carrying a switchblade knife.
A second argument erupted. Ayesha stabbed Laila repeatedly inside the flat. Hearing the screams, Nafisa ran from her room and attempted to reach the intercom. Ayesha attacked her too, stopping her from calling for help.
Police later found the victims in two different places.
Laila’s body was discovered inside the flat at about 11:45am.
Nafisa lay near the building’s main gate, gravely wounded. Neighbours rushed her to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.
Post-mortem findings revealed the severity of the assault. Laila suffered 30 injuries, including several deep cuts to her throat. Nafisa sustained six serious stab wounds.
The escape
After killing the two, Ayesha washed up, changed out of her bloodstained clothes, and put on Nafisa’s school uniform. She packed a mobile phone, a laptop, cash and other valuables into a bag.
She left the building at 9:35am.
A rickshaw took her to Suhrawardy Hospital, where she changed into her own clothes. From there she travelled to her mother’s house in Hemayetpur, Savar, where she spent the night. She fled again the next morning.
A long history of theft
Police said the murders were not an accident but the extreme result of “habitual criminal behaviour.”
A general diary had been filed at Mohammadpur Police Station earlier this year accusing her of stealing Tk8,000. She had also stolen money from her sister’s home.
“Ayesha has always been crime prone,” AC Nazrul Islam said. “This is why she carried a knife. She often kept her face covered and did not use a phone, making it harder to track her movements.”
How detectives found her
The investigation unfolded in layers.
DMP detectives traced her to Geneva Camp, where she had been living. Officers linked her to an earlier theft on Humayun Road. Teams raided her mother’s home in Hemayetpur and her husband Rabbi Shikder’s parental home, but she had already fled.
The trail finally led to Kayarchar village in Nalchiti, Jhalakathi—Rabbi’s grandfather’s house.
A police team led by Assistant Commissioner Md Abdullah Al Mamun arrested both Ayesha and Rabbi there, recovering the stolen laptop.
Investigators said they found no involvement of a third party. Rabbi did not take part in the murders but fled with Ayesha after learning what she had done.
Case and remand
Laila’s husband, M Z Azizul Islam, filed a murder case naming Ayesha as the prime suspect.
The murders occurred Monday morning at the family’s flat on Shahjahan Road, Mohammadpur.
On Thursday, a Dhaka court placed Ayesha on a six-day remand, while Rabbi received three days’ remand.
Investigating officer Sub-Inspector Md Shahidul Osman Masum had sought ten days each.
No lawyers appeared for the accused. Assistant Public Prosecutor Harun-or-Rashid represented the state.
Police continue to follow every lead as the investigation progresses.
