Even 22 hours after the brutal killing of a mother and daughter in the capital’s Mohammadpur, police have yet to confirm the identity of the domestic worker suspected of carrying out the murders.
A murder case was filed at Mohammadpur Police Station on Monday night, but no arrests have been made so far.
Azizul Islam, husband of the deceased Laila Afroze (48) and father of 15-year-old Nafisa Nawal Binte Aziz, filed the case, naming the suspected domestic worker – identified only as “Mst Ayesha,” aged around 20 – as the lone accused.
Police recovered the blood-soaked bodies of the two victims from their flat on Friday afternoon.
Mohammadpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mejbah Uddin confirmed the development, saying the case was filed under Sections 302/34 of the Penal Code.
“The accused had been coming to work for just four days. The plaintiff does not have her phone number or NID details. Identifying and arresting her is now urgent,” the OC said.
He added that police have already collected forensic evidence from the scene, with CID’s forensic team gathering samples on the day of the incident.
A PBI team is also working the case.
“This is a clueless case. It will take some time. But we are trying to apprehend the accused as soon as possible,” he said.
Robbery suspected as motive
According to the case statement, several items – including mobile phones, laptops, gold jewellery and cash – were missing from the house.
OC Mejbah Uddin said initial evidence indicates the suspect may have entered the home under the guise of a domestic worker with the intention of robbery.
“After the murders, she took valuable items and fled. We believe she came disguised as a housemaid to commit theft,” he added.
A senior officer of an intelligence agency also told Dhaka Tribune that early indications suggest a planned “robbery-murder” carried out by a professional criminal gang.
“The investigation is now focused on identifying the wider group behind the killing,” he said.
Murder in under two hours
The case states that the killings occurred between 7:51am and 9:35am on November 8.
Azizul, a physics teacher, wrote in the case statement that he left home around 7am for his workplace in Uttara.
He tried repeatedly to contact his wife from work but received no response.
When he returned home around 11am, he discovered his wife lying dead in the kitchen with severe slash wounds, including to her throat.
His daughter was found critically injured near the main gate.
He immediately sent Nafisa to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital with the help of a cleaner, but doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Azizul wrote that after reviewing CCTV footage he found that the accused entered the building at 7:51am and left at 9:35am, wearing Nafisa’s school uniform and a mask.
She was seen carrying a bag believed to contain the stolen valuables.
The footage also shows her speaking on a phone outside the gate.
When the security guard called out to her, she briefly returned before fleeing in a rickshaw.
The case statement concludes that the accused: “for unknown reasons, grievously injured my wife and daughter with a knife or another sharp weapon, causing their deaths.”
Police say an extensive manhunt is underway.
