More than one killer

Former Eden College principal Mahfuza Chowdhury Parvin was strangled to death by more than one person, an autopsy report confirmed yesterday.

“There are injury marks on her throat, mouth and fingers. She was choked to death at one stage of scuffle… It seems more than one person were involved in the killing,” said Sohel Mahmud, head of forensic medicine department at Dhaka Medical College after conducing post-mortem.

Parvin's maids -- Ruma alias Reshma, 30, and Swapna, 35, who are on the run -- are key suspects in the murder. 

Victim's husband Ismat Quadir Gama filed a case against them along with another unnamed, known as “Rakib-er Ma”, with New Market Police Station.

He alleged that the two domestic workers made away with Tk 50,000 in cash, 20 tola of gold jewellery worth around Tk 10 lakh and a mobile phone worth around Tk 60,000.

The third accused provided the two maids -- Swapna 10 days ago, while Reshma one-and-a-half months ago -- to the victim's family, Gama told The Daily Star yesterday.

The victim, her husband and three domestic workers used to live in their duplex flat in Elephant Road area. The third house help, Rashida, was picked up by police but was released after interrogation yesterday.

“The two maids were seen on CCTV footage, leaving the victim's home on Sunday evening. We are trying to arrest them,” said Atikur Rahman, officer-in-charge of New Market Police Station.

Police suspect the maids killed the elderly woman in between 3:30pm and 7:30pm when Rashida was sleeping and Gama was not home. Victim's sons do not stay with them.

In the case statement, Gama mentioned that he returned home around 7:25pm and found his wife on bed, covered with a blanket.

“After removing the blanket, I saw her hands twisted, a scarf around her neck and blood around her throat,” he said.

After autopsy, the body was taken to Eden College in the afternoon where colleagues and students paid their last respects and later buried at Banani graveyard.