Staff Reporter :
A female college teacher and her alleged banker lover were killed by unidentified miscreants in a flat of a two-story building at South Jhiltuli in Faridpur district town on Sunday night.
The deceased have been identified as Sadia Begum, 36, an Assistant Professor of Home Economics Department at the Government Sarda Sundori Women College and Farooq Hassan, 38, a Principal Officer (PO) at Sonali Bank in Motijheel Branch of Dhaka.
Farooq’s body was found hanging from the ceiling fan while injury marks of sharp weapon were found on the head of Sadia. Following information of house owner, police recovered the bodies from two separate rooms of the flat around 11:00pm. A blood-stained knife was also seized from the spot.
The law enforcers also detained Sadia’s husband Sheikh Shahidul Islam as the bodies were found just after half an hour of filing a General Diary by him as his wife did not return home from the college since then, said our local correspondent quoting police.
Faridpur Additional Superintendent of Police Jamal Pasha said, “Primarily, it was assumed from the way bodies were found that the banker Farooq might have murdered Sadia and then committed suicide. But then again, the duo could be murdered, as the flat’s door was found open. However, police are speculating over these two clues.
“The two were neighbours. But it is not clear why they were found dead together. An investigation is underway and the matter will become clear soon,” the police official said. Citing house owner Nurul Islam, Faridpur Kotowali Police Station Officer-in-Charge AFM Nasim said, “Sheikh Shahidul Islam rented a flat on the ground floor at South Jhiltuli in the town around a year ago. Mother of two sons Sadia had been residing in the flat with her one-year old son while her husband (businessman) and 11-year old son stay in the capital’s Sutrapur.
Eventually, Farooq rented a room in the same floor of the building by giving fake information in April and started living there since May 1. Farooq identified him as an Audit Officer at the principal branch of Faridpur Sonali Bank. He also had a house in Dhaka.”
Shahidul and his aunt went to Faridpur on Wednesday. Shahidul lodged a General Diary as his wife did not return home from college on Sunday evening. The bodies were recovered from the flat just half an hour of the GD filing, the police official said.
David, the son of landlord Noor Islam, saw the door of the downstairs flat open and called police as soon as he saw the hanging body. Police took the two bodies to Faridpur Medical College Hospital for autopsy, he said.
According to David, Sadia rented the flat about a year ago. Farooq moved into the flat next to them about a month ago. He (Farooq) did not stay there regularly, the OC said.
“Our initial investigation has suggested that extra-marital affairs prevailed between Sadia and Farooq that consider as the key cause for the murder,” the police official suspected.
Shahidul Islam has been taken into police custody for questioning, he said.
A case filing is underway in this regard. Post-mortem examination was going on till writing the report at 3:00pm,” the OC said. There was nothing unusual about Sadia’s behaviour when she came to work on Sunday, said Professor Sultan Mahamud, Principal of Govt Sarda Sundori Women College.
“She had HSC exam duty. She completed her work and left the college at 3:30pm.”
Sadia’s husband Sheikh Shahidul Islam said, he last spoke with his wife around 4:00pm on Sunday. She had told him that she was at home.
“She wasn’t at home when I got back. So, I looked for her. I called her colleagues. I even filed a general diary at the Kotowali Police Station that night,” said Shahidul Islam.
