A 25-year-old woman was shot and hacked to death in front of her mother in Jinnahpara area of Khulna city on Thursday evening, allegedly over a dispute involving drugs linked to her husband.
The victim, Khushi, was the mother of two children. Her husband, Sumon Sardar, also known as Blade Babu, is reportedly involved in the drug trade.
According to the victim’s mother, she and Khushi were returning home by rickshaw when they got off at the entrance to Lane No 7 in the Jinnahpara area. Khushi got off first when several assailants approached her, spoke to her and then shot and hacked her to death in front of her mother.
The mother identified two of the alleged attackers as members of the Ashik group. She said they also asked about Khushi’s husband.
Police said two assailants were waiting on a motorcycle on the paved road near the entrance to Lane No 7 of the Bou Bazar area in Jinnahpara at around 7:30pm on Thursday.
When Khushi got off the rickshaw, the assailants approached her and asked about her husband. One of them then shot her from behind before grabbing her, placing a firearm against her head and firing again. The other assailant hacked her with a sharp weapon.
The attackers fled on their motorcycle when local residents approached. Residents rescued Khushi and took her to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where doctors on duty declared her dead.
Lobonchora Police Station Officer-in-Charge Syed Mosharraf Hossain said the body had been sent to the hospital morgue for an autopsy.
He said both Khushi and her husband, identified by police as Sumon Hawlader, alias Blade Babu, were involved in the drug trade and had faced drug-related cases.
Police are continuing operations to identify those involved and establish the motive behind the killing, the OC added.
