A murder case has been filed in connection with the killing of Mohammad Mohsin, alias Moushumi Hijra, 52, a respected leader or “Guruma” of third gender community, in Khulshi Police Station area of Chattogram.
However, even after 24 hours of the incident, the police are yet to arrest anyone involved.
Investigating Officer Sub-Inspector (SI) Golam Mohammad Nasim said they are prioritising the investigation to unravel the mystery. Significant progress has already been made, and one person has been identified from analysis of the scene, surrounding areas, and CCTV footage. However, details are being withheld for the sake of the investigation.
Earlier on Saturday morning, police recovered the body of Moushumi from her residence, adjacent to the Ambagan Railway Colony under Khulshi Police Station.
According to police and local sources, Moushumi lived alone in the house. On Friday, she chatted with her neighbours until around 2am before going to bed.
Around dawn, residents of the adjacent room heard the sound of an altercation coming from her room. However, assuming she was talking to someone known, they did not pay serious attention to it at the time.
When Moushumi did not wake up by 10am on Saturday, neighbours went to call her. Finding the door open, they entered the bedroom and discovered her blood-stained body, after which they immediately notified the police.
Financial motive suspected
Upon arriving at the scene, police recovered the body, which bore distinct injury marks on the neck. There were also signs of blood coming out of her mouth onto the bed.
Preliminary police investigations suggest that the murder may have been financially motivated. Moushumi owned a cattle farm behind her house. On Friday, the day before the incident, she had sold a cow and was keeping a large sum of cash from the sale. She was also scheduled to purchase another cow on Saturday morning.
However, the cash from the cow sale has been missing since the murder, alongside her two personal mobile phones.
Given the missing cash and mobile phones, the police are treating this as a key focus in their investigation. Investigators are scrutinising whether the murder has any link to financial transactions.
The altercation heard from Moushumi’s room is also being considered a crucial clue.
As the money and the two mobile phones are missing, the police are investigating whether the crime was pre-planned.
Police suspect that more than one person may have been involved in the murder. While the investigation team has identified a suspect after analysing the crime scene and surrounding areas, their identity is yet to be confirmed.
SI Nasim said they are working to confirm the suspect’s involvement and apprehend them, but declined to provide further details for the sake of the investigation. He added that police drives are ongoing to uncover the actual motive and arrest those involved, and investigators expect to solve the murder mystery and arrest the suspects soon.
