Mother–daughter murder: Domestic worker confesses to killing

The domestic worker accused of killing a woman and her young daughter in a high-profile case in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area has formally confessed to the crime in court, police and court officials said.

Ayesha gave her confessional statement on December 17 before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam, and was sent to judicial custody. Her husband, Rabbi Sikder, also admitted involvement after his remand ended on December 14.

Ayesha was produced in court after completing six days of police remand. The investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Shahidul Osman Masum of Mohammadpur Police Station, had sought permission to record her confession, which the court approved.

Police said Ayesha and her husband, Rabbi Sikder, were arrested on December 10 from Charkoya village in Nalchity of Jhalokathi. The following day, a Dhaka court granted six days’ remand for Ayesha and three days for Rabbi.

The victims, Layla Firoz and her daughter, were found dead on December 8. Later on this day, A Z M Azizul Islam, husband of the deceased Layla Firoz, filed a murder case with Mohammadpur Police Station.

According to the case statement, Azizul Islam returned home around 11:00am after being unable to reach his wife and daughter by phone. He found his wife dead with her throat slit and his daughter critically injured. The child later died at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital.

CCTV footage showed Ayesha entering the house at 7:51am and leaving at 9:35am with valuables including the child’s mobile phone, a laptop, gold jewelry, and other valuables.

Based on the footage, investigators believe the murders were carried out with a sharp weapon during that time window.