An 18-year-old pregnant woman, who was allegedly set on fire by her husband and several others over a dowry dispute in the capital’s Mirpur, died on Sunday while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).
Shifa Akter, who was three months pregnant, succumbed to her injuries at the DMCH Burn Unit around noon on Sunday, 11 days after she was admitted with burns covering 65 per cent of her body.
Shifa, the eldest of four sisters and daughter of Jahangir Alam from Noagaon village in Ashtagram, Kishoreganj, had married Sohel from the neighboring Laura Pashchim Para village eight months ago.
Following their marriage, the couple moved to a rented house near Azmat Garments in the Borobag area of Mirpur-2, where both were employed.
According to the victim’s father, the attack took place at midnight on 24 June. Shifa reportedly told her father before her death that Sohel and four to five accomplices poured kerosene on her and set her ablaze before fleeing the scene.
Construction workers from a nearby building, who noticed the fire, rushed to her aid, doused the flames, and took her to the hospital.
They later contacted Jahangir Alam using the address provided by Shifa from her hospital bed.
Jahangir Alam alleged that Sohel and his family had been pressuring him to pay an unpaid dowry amount promised at the time of the marriage.
Unable to pay due to financial hardship, he said, the family continued to face demands, while Sohel allegedly subjected Shifa to physical abuse.
“Sohel used to beat her for the money,” Jahangir said. He added that Shifa had left her job 15 days prior to the incident out of fear, after Sohel threatened to throw her under a moving vehicle if she did not return to their village.
Relatives claimed that since the incident, Sohel and his family members have gone into hiding and did not visit Shifa once during her 11-day hospitalisation.
Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the DMCH police camp, confirmed the death and said that the body has been kept in the morgue for an autopsy. He added that the Mirpur Model Police are currently investigating the matter
