Mystery shrouds death of woman; husband says 'accident', police suspect murder

Mystery shrouds over the death of a housewife after a car driven by her husband hit a road divider in Dhaka's Hatirjheel area this morning.

Sakibul Alam claimed that his wife Jhilik, who was already unwell and being taken to hospital, died following the accident.

But police suspected it was murder while deceased's family claimed that her in-laws "tortured her to death" and "staged the accident to cover up the murder".

Police detained Alam and the caretaker of his house in Gulshan for interrogation.

A CCTV camera -- at the building -- footage shows Jhilik being carried to the car by several persons, police said.

Golam Kuddus, a sub-inspector of Hatirjheel Police Station, said they went to Ambagan area round 8:45am upon hearing of an accident.

A private car was seen ploughing through a road divider and a woman was seen lying in the backseat of the car. Later, the woman and her husband were taken to the hospital where on duty doctor declared the woman dead, he said.

The body was sent to DMCH morgue for autopsy.

Talking to reporters at DMCH, Alam claimed that his wife was unwell and he was talking her to hospital when a tyre burst and he lost control over the wheels.

The car hit a road divider, he claimed, adding that his wife and he got injured in the accident and later Jhilik died at hospital.

Citing doctors at the hospital, inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH Police Outpost, however said the body of the woman bore no injury marks that people usually get during accidents.

"There are injury marks in her leg, head and neck but those were not from accident…We are suspecting she was strangulated," he said.