Locals in Savar hand over ‘mentally unstable’ woman to police

A woman named Shilpi Akhter, reportedly 'mentally unstable,' was handed over to the police by locals in Ashulia of Savar, following allegations that she burned the Holy Quran.

Kamal Hossain, Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) of Ashulia Police Station, confirmed the matter on Thursday (June 5). He said, “The woman seems to be mentally disturbed. She has been living alone for a few months after losing her job and being left by her husband. Since then, she had been behaving badly with her neighbors. The neighbors have accused her of hurting religious sentiments and dishonoring the Quran. We are investigating the matter seriously.”

Earlier, on Wednesday night, she was detained from the Gorat area of Ashulia. Shilpi Akhter (37) is the daughter of Ali Molla from Beradi village under Boalmari Police Station in Faridpur district. She used to work in a local garment factory.

Her neighbor, Sonia Akhter, said, “She has been living alone for quite a while. Sometimes she went out to shop. Most of the time, we gave her food. She lost her job months ago. She used to live with her husband, but he left her a few months ago. Since then, she has been crying a lot.”

Quoting locals, the police said that people got angry after hearing the news of the Quran desecration. They surrounded the woman and asked her why she did it, but she could not give a proper answer. As the situation was getting tense, the locals decided to hand her over to the police. Ashulia police quickly arrived at the spot after being informed.

Ashulia Police Station’s OC Kamal Hossain said, “We are taking the complaint seriously and investigating.”