A desperate video call to her father, a plea to be rescued from alleged abuse and an abrupt disconnection were among the last known moments of 24-year-old Jumratun Nessa Barsha, whose death at her husband’s home in Dhaka has prompted a murder investigation.
Barsha had called her family around midnight on Tuesday, crying and asking to be taken home, according to her relatives. She reportedly feared she would be killed if she remained there.
When her parents rushed to the house in Monipuripara, they found an ambulance waiting outside. Her in-laws told them she had died by suicide.
At Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, the family learned that Barsha was dead.
Police have since arrested her husband, Nabid Hossain, following a complaint filed by her father, Sheikh Monowar Hossain.
Tejgaon police station Officer-in-Charge Muniruzzaman told Dhaka Tribune on Thursday that Barsha had allegedly been subjected to repeated assaults over dowry demands.
Injury marks were found on her body, he said.
Nabid was arrested at the hospital and produced before a court. The investigation is continuing.
The family disputes the account of suicide given by Barsha’s in-laws and alleges that she was killed following prolonged abuse.
Police have not yet established the cause of death.
A marriage marked by alleged abuse
Barsha and Nabid married about a year ago after a relationship.
According to her father, trouble began after the marriage when Nabid repeatedly demanded money from his wife’s family.
He alleged that Nabid, who was unemployed, sought financial assistance on several occasions. The family initially gave him money, but the demands continued, frequently leading to arguments and physical abuse.
Relatives said Nabid had also sought money to start a business and buy a motorcycle.
On Tuesday night, Barsha was allegedly assaulted again.
Her family said someone from her in-laws’ household recorded part of the incident and sent the footage to them. The contents and authenticity of the recording have not been independently established.
Around midnight, Barsha contacted her parents through a video call.
She was crying, describing the alleged abuse and asking them to take her away, her family said.
The call suddenly ended.
Alarmed, her parents left for Monipuripara, reaching the house at approximately 12:30am.
An ambulance was parked outside.
According to the family, Barsha’s in-laws claimed she had taken her own life and was being taken to hospital.
Her parents followed the ambulance to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where they learned of her death.
Police examine circumstances of death
The discovery of injuries on Barsha’s body has added to questions surrounding the circumstances of her death.
Her father’s complaint alleges that she was killed following repeated dowry-related abuse.
Police have arrested Nabid, but the allegations against him have not been proved in court.
Investigators must now establish what happened after Barsha’s final video call, examine the reported footage and determine whether the physical evidence supports the family’s allegations or the account given by her in-laws.
No statement from Nabid or his family responding to the allegations was available in the reports reviewed.
For Barsha’s parents, the unanswered questions begin with the call they received that night, when their daughter asked them to bring her home, but they could not reach her in time.