Keraniganj Murder Case: Teacher’s Husband Remanded

Authorities in Dhaka’s Keraniganj area have remanded Humayun Kabir, husband of private tutor Mim Akter, for three days in connection with the grisly discovery of a mother and daughter’s partially decapitated bodies from a local flat.

The order was issued on Tuesday by Senior Judicial Magistrate Tanvir Ahmed, following a formal request from the police to secure the suspect’s custody for investigative purposes. Dhaka district prosecution officer ASI Sumaiya Akter confirmed the development, stating that Humayun Kabir was arrested on 17 January at around 10:30 a.m. from the Muktirbagh area of Keraniganj.

The investigating officer, Roni Chowdhury, had initially applied for a seven-day remand, but the hearing was postponed due to the absence of key case documents. Consequently, the suspect was sent to prison pending Tuesday’s scheduled remand hearing.

During the hearing, Humayun Kabir appeared before the court. Advocate Nashidus Zaman represented the prosecution in favour of the remand, while no legal counsel appeared for the accused. After considering the circumstances, the court approved a three-day remand for investigative purposes.

This development follows the shocking discovery on 14 January, twenty-one days after the victims went missing. Police recovered the mutilated bodies of Rokeya Rahman, 32, and her daughter Zobaida Rahman Fatema, 14, from a flat in the Muktirbagh area of Kalindi Union, Keraniganj.

Police suspect that the killings were motivated by a financial dispute, specifically regarding a loan guarantee. The flat where the bodies were found belonged to private tutor Mim Akter, where she lived with her husband.

According to family sources, Fatema went missing on 25 December around 5 p.m. while attending tuition at Mim’s flat. Her mother, Rokeya, disappeared later that evening. Initially, Shahin Ahmed, the husband and father, filed a General Diary (GD) at Keraniganj police station. Unable to locate them, he lodged a formal abduction complaint on 6 January.

Subsequently, on 14 January, Mim Akter and her sister Nurjahan were taken into custody. During court proceedings the next day, both sisters expressed willingness to provide confessions. However, as Nurjahan is a minor under 18, the court ordered her placement in the Gazipur Juvenile Development Centre, while Mim’s confession was formally recorded, and she was remanded to prison.

Timeline of Key Events:

The case has sparked widespread shock in Keraniganj, with police continuing their investigation to uncover the full circumstances behind the brutal murders.