Authorities in Feni’s Parshuram upazila have opened a formal inquiry into the death of a teenage domestic worker whose body was recovered from a locked apartment near the Upazila Gate area late on Thursday evening.
The victim, identified as Farhana Akhtar (also known locally as Priya), was the daughter of Saiful Islam, a resident of the Sebarhat region within Senbag upazila, Noakhali. Police retrieved her body from a third-floor flat in Khader Tower, situated along the primary access road to the upazila complex. A handwritten note discovered adjacent to the body has been taken into police custody as part of the ongoing forensic inquiry.
Details of the Incident
According to information gathered from neighbours and local law enforcement, the property is occupied by Mosharraf Hossain Talukder and his wife, Jaheda Akhtar. Mrs Akhtar is employed as a primary school teacher at the Ketranga Mohammadpur Primary School nearby. Farhana had resided with the family as a live-in domestic assistant for roughly three years.
Reports indicate that Mrs Akhtar departed for work on Thursday morning, leaving Farhana alone to tend to the residence. Upon returning home that evening, Mrs Akhtar attempted to gain entry, but repeated rings of the doorbell went unanswered. Growing concerned, she sought assistance from nearby residents to force open the main entrance. Inside, they found the young worker hanging from a ceiling fan in one of the bedrooms and immediately summoned the authorities.
Police Inquiry and Forensic Analysis
Responding officers from the Parshuram Model Police Station secured the premises upon arrival and carried out an initial inspection. Alongside the recovery of the body, officers seized the handwritten note found at the scene.
Preliminary assessments by the police indicate that while the note does not directly detail the cause of death, it remains a critical piece of physical evidence. Forensic experts are actively examining the document and conducting handwriting verifications to confirm whether it was written by Farhana, as well as to determine its contextual link to the fatality.
Ashraful Islam, Officer-in-Charge of the Parshuram Model Police Station, confirmed that official procedures were promptly initiated:
“Following the preparation of the preliminary inquest report, the body was dispatched to the morgue at Feni General Hospital for a comprehensive post-mortem examination. We are carefully verifying all collected evidence, and the precise cause of death will be established upon receipt of the autopsy findings.”
Socio-Legal Landscape Surrounding Domestic Help
The tragic outcome underscores persistent concerns surrounding the welfare and working conditions of domestic workers in Bangladesh. A vast number of households depend on domestic aides, many of whom are young individuals living away from their immediate families. Human rights advocates frequently emphasize the necessity of monitoring such environments to ensure physical safety, mental well-being, and proper support structures for domestic staff.
Local authorities have pledged a meticulous investigation, assuring that all potential leads—including the events leading up to the discovery and the authenticity of the recovered note—will be comprehensively addressed once forensic and medical reports are finalized.
