Housemaid's body recovered in Khilgaon, couple arrested

Police have arrested a couple after their teen housemaid's body found hanging from the ceiling of their rented house at Khilgaon in Dhaka on Wednesday. 

The victim, Shahida Akter, 14, was hailed from Mymensingh's Gauripur upazila and had been working at the home of Nurul Haidar Rakib and his wife Nadira Nazneen Setu in Khilgaon's Tilpapara area for four years. She was found hanging from the ceiling of the couple's house on Wednesday night.

Though the couple claimed that the victim have committed suicide, but the victim's mother, Mahfuza Begum, alleged that her daughter was sexually harassed by her employer, which led to her death. 

She believes her daughter was either driven to suicide or was murdered and then hung from a ceiling fan to cover up the crime.

Mahfuza shared her suspicions, saying, "My daughter would never commit suicide. Her employer tried to touch her inappropriately which she resisted several times. Shahida had complained about this to Nadira but instead of taking action, the couple threatened my daughter." 

Mahfuza sought justice for what she believes to be her daughter's murder.

Following the discovery of Shahida�s body, a case was filed by Shahida's grandfather Jubed Ali, resulting in the arrest of the house owner Rakib and his wife, as confirmed Khilgaon Police Station sub-inspector and investigating officer of the case Md. Sadekul Islam.

He also said that the body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy before being handed over to her family. 

After the death news spread to the victim's village home, angry locals attacked and vandalized the house of Setu's father, Hasmat Ali, in Gauripur's Satisha village. Hasmat reported that during the attack, valuable items, including gold jewelry, a laptop, and a motorcycle, were stolen from his home.

Later, the situation was brought under control by an army team from the Gauripur camp.

Tensions flared again on Thursday night when Shahida's body arrived in Gauripur. Locals demanded justice before allowing the burial to proceed. The army was once again deployed to manage the crowd, and Shahida was finally laid to rest on Friday (October 18).

Hasmat Ali, the father-in-law of Rakib, dismissed the allegations of sexual harassment, calling them "completely false and fabricated." He insisted that his daughter, Nadira, treated Shahida like a sister, and expressed his commitment to the legal process, stating, "I respect the law, and I believe the truth will come out through proper investigation."

Meanwhile, the father, Shahid Mia, a rickshaw puller, said, "Shahida had been working for Rakib's family for four years to to help with our financial struggles. Now she has come back as a corpse. I demand justice."

Shahida's mother recounted that her daughter did not want to return to work after visiting home during the recent Eid-ul-Adha holiday. However, she was convinced to return by Hasmat Ali, who assured them it would only be for two more months. Shahida's final words to her mother on the night of her death were, "I�ll be back soon for good." But she never returned alive.