Testimony has concluded in the murder case of film actress Raima Islam Shimu against her husband Sakhawat Ali Nobel and his associate SM Farhad.
Pragya Parmita Dutta, a physician at Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital and the autopsy doctor, testified as the final witness before the court of Dhaka Fourth Additional District and Sessions Judge Nusrat Jabin Nimmi.
After recording her testimony, the court fixed October 26 for the hearing on the statements of the accused, Shimu’s husband Sakhawat Ali Nobel and his associate SM Farhad.
Court Bench Assistant Saiful Islam confirmed the matter, saying the court has so far recorded the testimony of 20 of the 33 witnesses in the case.
According to the case documents, police recovered the body of an unidentified 32-year-old woman stuffed in a sack from a bush beside a paved road, about 300 metres north of Alipur Bridge in Hazratpur Union under Keraniganj, around 10:00am on January 17, 2022.
Police collected fingerprints to identify the woman and sent the body to Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital for an autopsy. Her identity was later established with the help of information technology, and investigators confirmed that the body was that of actress Raima Islam Shimu.
Investigators said Shimu was killed sometime between 7:00am and 8:00am on January 16 following a domestic dispute.
Her brother, Harunur Rashid, filed a murder case with Keraniganj Model Police Station over the killing.
After investigating the case, Keraniganj Model Police Station Inspector Shahidul Islam submitted a charge sheet against Nobel and Farhad on August 29, 2022.
The court framed charges against the two accused on November 29 that year, formally starting the trial.