The body of a Bangladeshi-origin Australian woman, Rehana Parvin, 37, who had been missing for over two months, was recovered from Ashulia in Savar, Dhaka, on Thursday night.
The body was found in a house in the Chorapara area of Pathalia Union.
Earlier, on July 3, Rehana’s mother, Airin Akhter, filed a complaint at Nawabganj police station, alleging that her daughter had been abducted and named four suspects.
Rehana Parvin, originally from Patil village in Nawabganj, Dhaka, had been residing in Australia with her husband, Awlad Hossain, and their five children.
The accused include Rehana’s husband Awlad Hossain, 47, son of the late Abdul Mannan from the same village, Rehana’s uncle-in-law Amzad Hossain, 64, her sister-in-law Papia Akhter, 36, and a woman named Maksuda.
Among them, Amzad Hossain and Papia have been arrested by the police.
According to the police, Rehana and her son arrived in Bangladesh on June 29. The following day, she traveled from her parents’ home to her in-laws' house.
On July 3, she last spoke with her mother over the phone. Since then, her family had no contact with her, and she did not return to Australia.
However, the family learned from the Australian embassy that Rehana’s husband had returned to Australia on July 13. Following this, Rehana's mother filed a complaint.
Further investigations revealed that Rehana had a house in Ashulia’s Swarlata Housing area.
Based on the information from the investigation, Papia and Amzad were arrested, and they later provided details that led to the discovery of Rehana's body buried in the courtyard of an under-construction house in Chorapara.
Motive Behind the Murder
According to Md Ashraful Alam, senior assistant superintendent of police (Dohar Circle), Rehana and her husband Awlad, both Australian citizens, had been living in Australia for about 20 years, with five children.
Most of their property was in Bangladesh, and much of it was under Rehana’s name. She frequently visited Bangladesh for the supervision of the assets.
Police believe the murder was premeditated, driven by disputes over the property. After the murder, her body was buried at the construction site in Ashulia.
As Rehana did not return to Australia as scheduled, the Australian embassy informed her family, who then filed a missing person’s report.
Upon further investigation, police arrested two suspects who confessed to the murder and revealed the location of the buried body.
Family's Reaction
Her mother, Airin Akhter, expressed her grief, saying: "I worked hard to educate my daughter and send her to Australia, where she became a citizen. Awlad forced her into marriage. My daughter earned and acquired property in Australia, but her husband and his family conspired to kill her for that property."
"They killed her and hid the body. Two months later, the police have found her remains. I demand justice and the execution of those responsible," she added.
Rehana’s brother, Robin said: "My sister was murdered, and her body was hidden by her husband and his family. I demand the death penalty for all the killers."
