House help Ayesha reportedly stole Tk2,000 from the home of Laila Afroza the day before the murder of Laila and her daughter, Nafisa Nawal Binte Aziz, said police.
The following day, when Ayesha arrived at work, a verbal dispute and scuffle broke out between her and Laila over the missing money. When Laila threatened to call the police, Ayesha attacked and fatally stabbed both Laila and Nafisa using a switchgear and a knife.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime and Operations) SN Md Nazrul Islam provided the details during a press briefing at the DMP Media Center on Thursday.
He said Ayesha entered the house with a switchgear and knife the morning after the theft. During the argument, she stabbed Laila indiscriminately. Nafisa, who was asleep at the time, was attacked when she woke up and attempted to contact security via the intercom.
After committing the murders, Ayesha fled the house, taking a laptop and a mobile phone, which she later threw into a river from the Singair Bridge. On the night of the incident, she stayed at her mother’s house. The next morning, she travelled with her husband, Jamal Sikdar, to Charakara village in Nalchity upazila, Jhalakathi, where she was arrested, and the stolen laptop was recovered.
Regarding the thefts, AC Nazrul said: “Ayesha clearly had a criminal intention. She has a burn mark on her neck, which helped us identify her. There are two versions about how the burn occurred: one is that she set herself on fire during a dispute with her mother, and the other is that she was burned by fire from a stove while working in a house.”
The police added that Ayesha had previously been caught for theft, with a general diary (GD) registered against her at Mohammadpur Police Station. She had previously stolen Tk8,000 from another house and had even stolen from her sister’s home, indicating a prior habit of theft. Further investigation is ongoing, and more details are expected once she is brought in for remand.
Earlier, police recovered the bodies of Laila and Nafisa from their Mohammadpur residence on Monday. Officials at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Morgue said Laila sustained approximately 30 stab wounds, while her 15-year-old daughter had at least six. Both victims were attacked on the neck and throat, and the assailant wore gloves during the attack.
Family sources said Nafisa’s father, Azizul Islam, returned home around 11:30am and discovered the bodies of his wife and daughter. He filed a case against Ayesha at Mohammadpur Police Station that same night.
