The son of a former Bangladesh ambassador to the Philippines has been sent to jail in a murder case filed over the death of his mother, Afia Akter, while their house help, Nargis Begum, has given a statement before a Dhaka court as a witness.
The accused, Tahsin Tarik Arnab, and Nargis were produced before the court on Sunday by the investigation officer, Dhanmondi Model police station Sub-Inspector Mohammad Touhidur Rahman.
The investigation officer filed an application seeking to keep Arnab in jail custody and another seeking to record Nargis’s confessional statement as a witness.
Following the applications, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid ordered that Arnab be sent to jail. Another Metropolitan Magistrate, Mahbub Alam, recorded Nargis’s statement, said Sub-Inspector Sharifuzzaman of the prosecution department.
While at the court, Arnab told journalists that he was a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) student at United International University (UIU).
He said he found his mother lying in the dining room in a bloodied condition early in the morning.
“There is a mosque downstairs in our building. I called the imam. I called 999, but they did not respond,” he said.
Arnab said he later spotted a police patrol vehicle while on his way to Dhanmondi Ibn Sina Diagnostic Centre and informed its personnel about the incident. The police then accompanied him to the house.
Claiming that he was ill, Arnab said his mother was a heart patient and also had diabetes.
Afia Akter, wife of the late Abul Kashem, a former Bangladesh ambassador to the Philippines, was found murdered at a flat on Road 9/A in Dhanmondi.
Her daughter, physician Nahrin Nashid Swarna, filed a murder case accusing her younger brother, Arnab.
In the case statement, Swarna alleged that Arnab was not involved in any work or occupation and frequently asked their mother for money. Whenever she refused, he would quarrel with her and threaten to kill her.
According to the case statement, at around 6:30am on Saturday, the house manager, Mahbub, called Swarna and informed her that he had learned from the building's security guard about a disturbance at their house.
Swarna immediately called the house help, Nargis. Nargis told her that Arnab had stabbed Afia Akter in the throat with a knife and left her lying in the dining room.
Swarna then asked Mahbub to take her mother to the hospital immediately. Afia Akter was taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where the on-duty doctor declared her dead.
Later, after speaking with Nargis, Swarna learned that her mother had dinner at around 9:30pm on Friday before going to sleep in her bedroom. Arnab was in his own bedroom at the time.
According to the case statement, Nargis heard Afia Akter scream at around 5:30am and went to the dining room. She saw Arnab standing with a knife in his hand, while Afia Akter was lying in a bloodied condition.
When Nargis tried to approach Afia Akter, Arnab threatened to kill her while showing her the knife. He then forced Nargis out of the house and locked the door.
After confirming his mother's death, Arnab left the house.
Police said Arnab was arrested from the Dhanmondi area after the case was filed.