The 26-piece dismemberment of Ashraful: New details emerging

A dispute rooted in extramarital affairs between two friends led to the killing of businessman Ashraful Haque, after which his body was cut into 26 pieces with a machete. The remains were placed in two blue drums near the National Eidgah adjacent to the High Court. The police arrested Ashraful’s friend Zarejul Islam on charges of involvement in the murder. He was arrested on Friday (14 November) night during an operation in Daudkandi, Cumilla.

During interrogation, Zarejul and Shamima, who was involved in an extramarital relationship with him, kept the body in the apartment for more than 24 hours and planned how it would be concealed. They decided to dismember the body and hide it in drums. Accordingly, they cut the body into 26 pieces with a machete and left the drums in front of the High Court.

RAB-3 has also arrested Shamima, the partner of Zarejul, along with various pieces of evidence.

According to DB and RAB officials involved in the investigation, Ashraful and Malaysia expatriate Zarejul were childhood friends. Both were from Rangpur. About three years ago, Zarejul became acquainted with Shamima, the wife of an expatriate, through Facebook. Living in Cumilla with her two children, she developed an extramarital relationship with him. Whenever he visited Bangladesh from Malaysia, he met Shamima. He had informed his friend Ashraful about this relationship.

Later, Ashraful also collected Shamima’s phone number, and a relationship developed between them. On 23 October, upon returning from Malaysia, Zarejul rented a flat in South Donia, Dhaka, where he stayed with Shamima. Ashraful also visited the flat. At that time, Zarejul learned of the relationship between Ashraful and Shamima.

An argument ensued between the two friends. As a result, sometime between Tuesday night (11 November) and Wednesday morning (12 November), Ashraful was killed in that apartment. The body remained there until Thursday (13 November) morning. Zarejul and Shamima ate food that Zarejul brought from outside. On Thursday morning, the two dismembered the body in the bathroom, placing the remains inside drums. They later roamed the city in a CNG auto-rickshaw with the drums and eventually left them in front of the High Court.

New information has since surfaced. On Thursday, when Ashraful’s wife Lucky Begum called her husband’s phone, Zarejul received the call. He told her, “Sister-in-law, I heard from someone that brother went to Chattogram and was killed there.” The information was shared by Ashraful’s brother-in-law Rezwan.

However, the victim’s family believes the prime culprit is childhood friend Zarejul. Yesterday, Ashraful’s younger sister Mosha. Anjira Begum filed a murder case with Shahbagh Police Station naming Zarejul as the main accused.

In the case statement, she wrote that her brother supplied onions, garlic, chilies, potatoes, and other goods across the country from Hili land port in Dinajpur. On 11 November at 8 pm, Ashraful came to Dhaka with Zarejul. After that, his number was found switched off. The family suspects that Ashraful was killed with a sharp weapon as part of a premeditated plan, his body cut into 26 pieces, and placed in two blue drums before being hidden.

Officer-in-charge of Badarganj Police Station, AKM Atikur Rahman, said the family’s information has been forwarded to the DC of Ramna Zone and Shahbagh Police Station.

More complexity has emerged around the incident. After a final phone conversation with Ashraful’s younger sister Rahena Begum, Zarejul went missing with his phone switched off. He told her he had boarded a bus from Sayedabad and would explain everything upon reaching home. The 7-minute 13-second phone recording is in the possession of the media.

On Friday afternoon, when Zarejul’s house near Gopalpur Bazar was visited, his wife said they believed he had gone to Chattogram with Ashraful to collect owed business money.

Rezwan, the victim’s brother-in-law, said that two years ago, during onion imports from Myanmar, Ashraful had a business dealing with a trader from Teknaf, who owed him about 30 lakh taka. The trader avoided repaying the money. Following a case at Badarganj Police Station, RAB and police arrested the trader, who later spent three months in jail.

After the news of the murder spread, mourning engulfed Ashraful’s home. Relatives and neighbors cried, and his mother and wife repeatedly lost consciousness.

His mother, Eshra Khatun, lamented, “Why did they kill my only son! Why did they take away the light of my life!”

His wife, Lucky Begum, was overwhelmed with grief—sometimes sitting motionless, then suddenly collapsing to the ground in tears.

His elder sister Roushanara Begum cried, “Our brother is gone! But we want justice.”

Khaborwala/TSN