A five-month pregnant woman was killed in Dhaka’s Mugda early today. Police held her husband over the murder based on family’s allegation.

The victim was identified as Tanjila Islam Binti. The detainee was Shah Alam Sohag, a resident of the area, Mugda police sources said.

Nasiruddin, officer-in-charge of Mugda Police Station, told The Daily Star that Sohag has been taken in for questioning. “Binty’s family claimed him as the murderer”.

They were an unhappy couple, the OC said quoting the victim’s family. Married for five years, they have been having a row for the last few months.

Sohag used to torture Binti since their marriage, news agency UNB reports quoting victim’s uncle Farhad Hossain.

A quarrel broke out between the couple around 3:30am. At one stage, Sohag kicked Binti in the abdomen, leaving her writhing in agony, UNB reports.

She was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Doctors declared her dead around 4:30am, said Inspector Mozammel Haque, in-charge of the hospital’s police camp.

The body was sent to the hospital morgue for autopsy.