How Mohammedpur double-murder case cracked

 
The gruesome killings of Laila Afroz (48) and her daughter Nafisa Lawal Binte Aziz (15) in Dhaka's Mohammedpur have created uproar across the country. 

AZM Azizul Islam, victim's husband, filed a murder case against house help Ayesha Akter (20) immediately after discovering the bodies in the Shahjahan Road flat.

Police arrested house help Ayesha and her husband Jamal Sikder Rabbi (25) from her grandfather-in-law's house in Nalchity upazila of Jhalakathi on Wednesday (December 10).

Briefing reporters at the DMP Media Centre on Thursday (11 December), Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Operations) SN Md Nurul Islam detailed the incident.

Nazrul Islam said Ayesha had a long history of stealing from the homes where she worked. She routinely concealed her identity, avoided using a mobile phone, provided no address and kept her face veiled, making it difficult for employers to identify her later.

"The investigative team could not find any significant clues from the usual methods. We then decided to review police records of thefts by housemaids over the last year in Mohammadpur Police Station area, specifically looking for similarities with the suspect's profile: having a burn scar on the neck and staying near the Geneva Camp area," he stated.

In July, she allegedly stole Tk 8,000 from a residence, prompting the filing of a general diary at Mohammadpur Police Station.

Ayesha joined the victims' household only three days before the incident. Throughout her time there, she kept her face covered, preventing anyone from recognising her clearly.

On the second day, she allegedly stole Tk 2,000, triggering an argument with the housewife, Laila Afrooz. On the third day, Ayesha returned with a switch-gear knife. Another confrontation broke out over the missing money - and this time, the dispute turned fatal.

According to police, Ayesha stabbed Laila. When Laila's daughter, Nafisa, tried to intervene, she too was stabbed to death.

In her escape, Ayesha wore Nafisa's school uniform and fled the apartment, taking with her a laptop, a mobile phone and other valuables. She later changed her clothes at her mother's home in Savar, before travelling to Manikganj, where she disposed of the school uniform and blood-stained clothing in the Singair River.

Additional Commissioner Nazrul Islam urged city residents to verify the identity and background of any domestic worker before employing them.
Meanwhile, a court in Dhaka on Thursday placed Ayesha on a six-day remand while her husband Rabbi was remanded for three days. 

>>Ashraf Uddin, AA