Schoolteacher Brutally Hacked by Pupil’s Mother in Bhairab

A private schoolteacher was brutally attacked and left with life-threatening injuries after she requested her overdue tutoring fees from a pupil’s mother in Bhairab upazila, Kishoreganj. The victim, identified as 28-year-old Sithhi Simita, sustained ten severe machete wounds to her head alone and had a finger completely severed during the assault. She is currently undergoing emergency treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The violent incident occurred on Monday morning in Panaullahchar village under the Shibpur union of Bhairab. Following the outcry, local residents acted swiftly to restrain the assailant at the scene before handing her over to the police. The accused attacker, 25-year-old Priya Begum, is the wife of Bayezid Miah, a local restaurant owner.

Law enforcement officials have formally arrested Priya on charges of attempted murder. On Tuesday afternoon, a magistrate court ordered her transfer to the Kishoreganj District Jail. Senior Sub-Inspector Emdadul Kabir of the Bhairab Police Station confirmed that a thorough investigation is underway to determine whether there were alternative motives behind the horrific assault.

According to family members, Simita, who teaches at a local private school, had been providing private home tuition to Priya’s child for the past three months. The agreed monthly fee was 1,500 taka. Tensions arose recently when Simita requested the accumulated unpaid tutoring fees, a demand that reportedly angered Priya. On Monday, Simita arrived at the house as usual. Just as she finished the lesson and prepared to leave, Priya locked the door and launched an unprovoked attack with a large kitchen machete (da).

Trapped inside the room, Simita was unable to escape despite desperate attempts. The attacker hacked her indiscriminately, causing severe lacerations across her body, damaging seven of her fingers, and severing one completely. Hearing the teacher’s frantic screams, neighbours rushed to the spot, broke open the door, and rescued her.

Simita was initially taken to the Bhairab Upazila Health Complex. As her condition deteriorated rapidly, she was transferred to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital for specialised surgery. Attending doctors revealed that her head injuries required fifty stitches to close the ten distinct deep wounds.

Recalling the ordeal from her hospital bed, Simita stated that after the first blow landed on her head, she ran to the exit only to find that two latches had been fastened, unlike the single latch usually used. Unable to escape, she became a target for further violence. Simita added that she was wearing approximately two bhoris of gold jewellery, including a necklace, bracelets, and earrings. During the assault, Priya allegedly demanded the items, shouting about her own lack of wealth whilst questioning why the teacher possessed so much gold.

The case was officially filed by Shishu Miah, a relative of the victim. He asserted that the attack was a calculated attempt to murder the teacher and rob her of her valuables. He noted that Priya had a history of erratic behavior in the area, dismissing claims from the suspect’s family that she was suffering from psychological instability as a mere attempt to downplay a heinous crime.