A housewife has died at Uttara in the capital after a woman posing as a domestic worker allegedly administered a high dose of sedatives to an elderly couple and looted gold ornaments and cash from their home.
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) solved what was described as a completely “clue-less” murder within 24 hours.
The accused have been identified as Bilkis Begum, 40, who allegedly carried out the crime, and Robiul Auwal, 53, a jewelry shop owner accused of purchasing the stolen gold. They have been arrested.
The details were disclosed on Sunday at a press conference at Bhanga Mosque in West Agargaon by Additional DIG Md. Enayet Hossain Mannan of PBI Dhaka Metro (North).
According to PBI officials, on February 14 an unidentified woman secured employment as a domestic worker at a house under Uttara West Police Station for a monthly salary of Tk 5,000. She introduced herself as “Mamtaz” to the caretaker and “Marufa” to the family, promising to provide her National Identity Card (NID) and address later.
On the morning of February 17, when the homeowner’s wife and children went out, only the elderly couple, Ayesha Akter, 62, and Anwar Hossain, 68 were at home. In the evening, their eldest son, Md. Zakaria Hossain, became alarmed after hearing his father speak incoherently over the phone. When he rushed home, he found his mother unconscious on the bed and his father in critical condition.
Both were taken to Lubana General Hospital, where doctors declared Ayesha Akter dead. Anwar Hossain is currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Family members later discovered the house ransacked and the domestic worker missing. Approximately 5 bhori 10 ana of gold ornaments were taken from one room, another 6 bhori from a different room, and Tk 100,000 in cash was stolen from an almirah.
CCTV footage from a neighboring house showed the woman entering the residence at 8:56 am and leaving around 2:30 pm carrying a polythene bag.
Investigators said Bilkis Begum allegedly mixed 10 sedative tablets in water and gave it to the couple. The excessive dosage is believed to have caused Ayesha Akter’s death.
A case (No. 27) was filed with Uttara West Police Station by the victim’s son.
Additional DIG Enayet Hossain Mannan said the case initially appeared “clue-less,” but investigators identified the suspect using modern technology and analysis of previous case records. Her photograph was retrieved from earlier cases at various police stations and shown to the victim’s family, who confirmed her identity.
Multiple PBI teams conducted operations in Mymensingh, Jamalpur, and Gazipur, eventually arresting Bilkis from the Outpara area of Gazipur Chowrasta. She later gave a confessional statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code before a court.
According to investigators, Bilkis is a habitual offender who used multiple aliases to gain employment as a domestic worker in different areas of Dhaka before committing theft by administering sedatives. Several cases are pending against her at police stations including Khilkhet, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Bhatara, and Hatirjheel.
The second accused, Robiul Auwal, a resident of Sherpur district who operated a business in Gazipur, allegedly admitted to purchasing the stolen gold from Bilkis. Police recovered Tk 6,300 in cash and empty strips of sedative tablets from Bilkis.
The investigation is ongoing.