According to the complaint, the woman, identified as Mariam Begum, left her home on Saturday night, 19 September, accompanied by Sheikh Rahmat Ullah, who is described as her cousin. Rahmat Ullah is also the convener of the NCP’s Shahrashti municipal unit.
Family members said they had been aware for some time of what they described as a close relationship between Rahmat Ullah and Mariam. They alleged that the matter eventually became known within the family and that the two left together on Saturday night. Their mobile phones have reportedly remained switched off since then.
After the pair could not be located, relatives began searching for them in different places. On Sunday morning, Rahmat Ullah’s wife and Mariam’s two daughters, Fateha Jahan, 10, and Farhan Jahan, 6, went to Shahrashti Model Police Station with other family members.
The children were reportedly taken to the police station as the family sought assistance in tracing their mother. Relatives said the children were anxious to know where she was and had joined the search for her.
Jahangir Alam, brother-in-law of Bahrain-based Ibrahim Khalil, said the family had noticed the alleged relationship between the two for a considerable period. He said the matter was brought to Ibrahim’s attention before it became known more widely within the family.
“We became aware of their relationship and informed Ibrahim. After the matter became known within the family, they left together on Saturday night,” Alam alleged.
Mariam’s father-in-law and complainant, Harunur Rashid, made another allegation concerning belongings taken from the house. He claimed that his daughter-in-law left with gold jewellery and cash when she went away.
The allegations, however, have not been independently verified, and the circumstances surrounding the woman’s departure remain under investigation. It is also not clear from the complaint what the woman’s own account of the incident is or whether she left voluntarily.
The incident has drawn attention because of Rahmat Ullah’s political position in the Shahrashti municipal NCP. The party leader’s alleged involvement in a family dispute has also brought the matter into the public spotlight, although the police investigation will be required to establish the facts and determine whether any offence has been committed.
Shahrashti Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mir Mahbubur Rahman confirmed that a written complaint had been received.
He said the allegations were being treated seriously and that necessary legal steps were being taken in accordance with the law.
Police are expected to establish the whereabouts of the two individuals and examine the circumstances in which they left their respective homes. Until the investigation is completed, the allegations against Rahmat Ullah remain claims contained in the family’s complaint.
