Retired teacher found dead with hands, feet tied at home in Barishal

Police have recovered the half-decomposed body of a retired schoolteacher with her hands and feet tied from a rented house in Barishal city.

Deputy Police Commissioner Sushanto Sarkar said her body was recovered from the bedroom of a rented house on Rokeya Azim Road in Ward No. 4 of the city on Thursday morning.

The deceased, Amena Khanam (65), is the wife of Md Mosharraf Ali, a resident of Khunna Bazar area of Hijla upazila. She was a retired teacher of Durgapur Government Primary School in the same upazila.

One of Amena Khanam's sons lives in Dhaka and the other at the family home in Hijla. She used to live alone in a rented flat on the second floor of expatriate Md Shahbuddin's house on Rokeya Azim Khalpar Road.

Deputy Police Commissioner Sushanto Sarkar said Amena Khanam's elder son works at a bank in Dhaka. He told police that his mother's phone was switched off and he could not contact her in any way. For this reason, he came to Barishal from Dhaka. Later, after going to the police station and reporting the matter, police went with him to his mother's rented house.

Upon reaching the scene, police saw that the woman's room was locked from outside. Later, the lock was opened with a key the son had.

Entering the room, it was seen that Amena Khanam's body was lying on the bed. Her hands and feet were tied with cloth. Various items in the room were also scattered.

The Deputy Police Commissioner said, "It seems someone deliberately carried out this murder. They later locked the door and left. As a smell has spread in the room, it is believed she was killed a day or two ago."

He said, "Our forensic, crime and CID teams have worked. Along with unravelling the main mystery of the incident, those involved will be brought under the law quickly."

Asked whether the murder was committed for the purpose of theft or robbery, Sushanto Sarkar said Amena Khanam's children said their mother had a gold chain around her neck. It is being examined whether any valuables are missing. No one has been detained so far. However, several people are being questioned.

Inspector Md Kamal Hossain of the city's Kaunia Police Station said the woman had last spoken with her son around 11am last Monday. After the phone was found switched off throughout Wednesday, the son came at night and went to the house with police. There, her body was found with hands and feet tied.

However, when asked why the son went to the police station first instead of going directly to his mother's house, Inspector Kamal Hossain said, "We have the same question. An investigation into the incident is ongoing. Details can be given after the investigation is completed."

The police official also said the deceased's body was sent to the hospital morgue for autopsy at noon.