For almost 24 hours, actress Raima Islam Shimu appeared to have simply vanished. She left her Green Road home at around 7am on 16 January 2022, reportedly saying she was heading to a shoot. She never arrived. The next day, police found her dismembered body in sacks near Hazratpur Bridge in Keraniganj. The investigation soon turned towards her own home, with a spool of plastic thread and traces of bleaching powder in the family car emerging as crucial clues.
NDTV reported that Shimu began her career in theatre before filmmaker Kazi Hayat cast her in Bartaman, which marked her film debut in 1998. She went on to act in around 25 films and nearly 50 plays, while also working in television. Her final film, Jamai Sashur, was released in 2002.
Shimu later married Dhaka businessman Khandaker Shakhawat Alim Nobel in 2004. She stepped away from films after marriage but continued working in television. She also produced programmes, established a production house and worked in the marketing department of a private television channel. The couple had two children and lived in Green Road.
On the morning of 16 January, Shimu’s sister Fatima Nisha repeatedly tried to reach her. When she failed, the family contacted police. Nobel also filed a general diary at Kalabagan police station the following day. Police, meanwhile, received information about a suspicious sack near Hazratpur Bridge. They found Shimu’s body inside and sent it to Mitford Hospital for autopsy. Her brother Shahidul Islam Khokon identified her.
The early investigation briefly drew actor Zayed Khan into questioning over an old dispute with Shimu involving membership of the Bangladesh Film Artistes Association. Zayed told investigators that he had last spoken to her about two years earlier and had remained out of contact.
The breakthrough came inside Nobel’s car. Investigators found a bundle of plastic thread similar to the material used to stitch the sacks containing Shimu’s body. The car had also been washed and treated with bleaching powder, apparently to remove the smell and possible evidence. Police then focused on Nobel.
Police detained Nobel and his friend SMY Abdullah Farhad. Investigators said Nobel initially gave different accounts before admitting during questioning that he had killed his wife. Both Nobel and Farhad later gave confessional statements before magistrates, according to court reports.
According to the police account, a quarrel between Shimu and Nobel escalated on the morning of 16 January. Nobel allegedly strangled her and later called Farhad for help. The two men allegedly placed her body in sacks, stitched them with plastic thread and put the remains in Nobel’s car.
They first drove around looking for a place to dispose of the body but returned home because it was still daylight. They left again at night and eventually dumped the sacks near Hazratpur Bridge before returning to Dhaka. Nobel then reported Shimu missing.
Investigators also uncovered allegations of prolonged marital conflict. Police said Nobel had become suspicious of Shimu and that she had faced repeated domestic abuse. Her daughter Ojiha Alim Rid later testified that her father often assaulted her mother. She also told the court that Nobel called her from jail and apologised for what he had done.
The case drew intense attention because the disappearance story initially appeared to point towards a missing actress. But investigators eventually traced the trail back to the family car. The plastic thread matched the material used on the sacks, while the smell of bleach suggested an attempt to erase evidence. Those details helped turn a missing-person investigation into a murder case.
