Now that Mahfuza Malek Jesmin, mother of the sibling duo who were allegedly suffocated to death in the capital’s Banasree area last week, has confessed to killing her children, more time is necessary to properly investigate the case, said Monirul Islam, additional commissioner at Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Addressing a press briefing at the DMP’s media centre yesterday, Monirul said: “It is very difficult for a mother to say that she killed her children. Her psychological state is a big factor here. We are looking into it.”
But he said Jesmin is not insane. “If necessary, police will seek professional help to determine the state of her mental health.”
During interrogation, Jesmin said a bout of depression brought on by anxiety about her children’s future drove her to kill them, he said.
“Jesmin is highly educated. She used to teach at a college once, but quit the job ... The financial condition of her family is not sound. So there may have been cause for some frustration,” he added.
“We are also trying to find if someone else is involved ... if she is trying to save someone else.”
Inspector Mustafizur Rahman of Rampura police station said no evidence of Jesmin having an extramarital affair was found.
“We examined the call list on Jesmin’s mobile phone. There is nothing that indicates that she could had an extramarital affair,” he said yesterday.
