The mystery surrounding the murder of CNG auto-rickshaw driver Abul Kalam Buluchand alias Bolai Mia, 39, has been uncovered in Juri, Moulvibazar. His sister-in-law and her daughter have been accused of killing him and later floating his body in the Juri River. Police have arrested Asma Begum( 38), and her daughter Lima Akter ( 18) in connection with the incident.
On Thursday (September 17) afternoon, Kalam’s body was recovered floating in the Juri River in the Jangirai area of Jaifarnagar Union in the upazila. Later, relatives identified the body. The remains were sent to the morgue of the 250-bed Moulvibazar Hospital for autopsy. Abul Kalam Buluchand was a resident of Borodhamai village in East Juri Union. Arrested Asma Begum is a resident of Purba Kachurgul Nala Punji area of neighbouring Goalbari Union.
According to police and local sources, Kalam had been married twice. His second wife was Asma Begum’s sister-in-law. After the death of her husband, Bashir Ahmed, Asma had been living with her two daughters and a son. To support the family, she purchased a CNG auto-rickshaw and handed it over to Kalam to operate on a rental basis. As a result, Kalam regularly visited Asma’s house. According to police, an extramarital relationship developed between Asma and Kalam at one point. Kalam went to Asma’s house on Tuesday night and did not return home. On Thursday afternoon, local people spotted his body floating in the Juri River and informed the police.
Police went to the scene and recovered the body. The inquest report found multiple sharp-force injuries on Kalam’s neck. His family members later identified the body. Kalam’s younger brother, Hafiz Uddin, filed a murder case with Juri Police Station against unidentified persons.
During the investigation, police took Asma and her daughter Lima to the police station for questioning based on information obtained from Kalam’s mobile phone call records.
Police said Asma confessed during preliminary interrogation to being involved in the murder. According to the police, Kalam proposed marriage to Asma on the day of the incident. Asma rejected the proposal, citing concerns about possible adverse reactions from society and the future of her children. An argument then broke out between them. At one point, Asma allegedly struck Kalam three times with a machete, killing him at the scene. She later took her daughter with her, tied Kalam’s body to a banana-tree raft, and dumped it in a canal near the house.
Based on information provided by Asma, police seized the machete allegedly used in the killing and Kalam’s mobile phone. Police have shown the mother and daughter arrested in the case.
Juri Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Rafiqul Islam said police were able to uncover the mystery of the murder within a short time. The two arrested suspects will be produced before a court, and police will seek their statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to determine whether anyone else was involved in the incident.
