A harrowing incident of sexual violence and murder has sent shockwaves through the community of Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj district. A female cook was brutally assaulted and suffocated to death while returning home from her workplace. Police have apprehended the primary suspect, who subsequently offered a full judicial confession detailing his involvement in the crime.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) AHM Salauddin of Rupganj Police Station confirmed the development during a press briefing held on Sunday afternoon.
The victim was identified as Rabeya Khatun, wife of Shamsuddin from the Charromesh area under Bhola Sadar upazila. Seeking a livelihood, Rabeya had relocated to Narayanganj and resided as a tenant in the house of a local tea vendor named Rana in the Naora area of Rupganj. She earned a modest living preparing meals for daily labourers employed at the nearby Jolsiri Project, a major residential development scheme situated in the area.
According to official statements based on the suspect’s formal confession, the tragic event unfolded on the night of 4 October. Rabeya was returning to her rented accommodation after concluding her daily culinary duties at the project site. As she reached Road 107 in Sector 12 of the Jolsiri Project, the perpetrator ambushed her in an isolated spot.
The attacker violently kicked Rabeya in the chest, knocking her to the ground before attempting to sexually assault her. When the victim cried out desperately for help, the assailant forcibly clamped his hands over her nose and mouth to stifle her cries. The physical trauma caused Rabeya to lose consciousness. The perpetrator then proceeded to rape her while she was incapacitated. Denied oxygen during the prolonged struggle, Rabeya succumbed to suffocation on the spot.
Local residents discovered Rabeya’s lifeless body the following afternoon, 5 October, in the quiet expanse of the project grounds and alerted law enforcement immediately. A police team rushed to the scene to secure the area, recover the body, and conduct an initial inquest. The corpse was subsequently sent to Narayanganj Sadar Hospital morgue for an official post-mortem examination to establish the precise cause and timing of death.
Following the discovery, the victim’s son, Mohammad Shahin, filed a formal murder case at Rupganj Police Station, triggering a swift police investigation. Law enforcement officers launched a targeted raid within the Jolsiri Project area, successfully tracking down and arresting the suspect.
The arrested individual has been identified as Sarowar Jahan Sagar, son of Abdur Rahim, hailing from Islampur village in Nachole upazila of Chapainawabganj district. Following his arrest, Sagar was produced before the Narayanganj Magistrate’s Court, where he formally recorded his confession admitting to the horrific assault and subsequent murder. Police confirmed that legal proceedings and further investigation into the case remain ongoing.
