Police have arrested a 65-year-old woman in connection with the death of her daughter-in-law, Sifatun Nur Meem, 20, who allegedly faced physical abuse and harassment at her in-laws’ home in Patiya, Chittagong, following a dispute over breakfast.
The arrested woman, Rizia Begum, has been named as the prime accused in the case. Meem’s husband, Mohammad Tarek, 26, and her two sisters-in-law, Sumi Akhter, 38, and Rasheda Begum, 43, have also been accused. The case was filed at Patiya Police Station on Sunday, October 25, following a complaint lodged by Meem’s father, Mohammad Noor. The charges were brought under Sections 306 and 109 of the Penal Code.
According to the complaint, Meem married Tarek around five months ago. Her husband went abroad approximately two months after their marriage, after which she reportedly experienced frequent disputes with her in-laws over various matters. The complaint alleges that on the evening of October 14, Meem’s mother, Zahinur Akhter, brought several types of breakfast to her daughter’s in-laws’ residence. Rizia Begum and her two daughters allegedly insulted her, claiming that the food was insufficient. The incident reportedly led to an argument involving Meem and her mother. At one point, the three women allegedly assaulted Meem and provoked her to take her own life, according to the complaint.
The statement further alleges that Meem later contacted her husband by phone and informed him about the incident. However, Tarek allegedly verbally abused her and urged her to commit suicide. At around 8:30pm that day, Meem reportedly attempted suicide by tying her saree to a ceiling fan in her bedroom at the residence of Ilias Khan in Ward No. 1 of Kusumpura Union, Patiya. Her mother-in-law and neighbours rescued her and took her to Chittagong Medical College Hospital for treatment. However, the attending doctor declared her dead at 12:50pm on October 23, according to the report.
Police said Rizia Begum was arrested under Section 54(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure after officers received information about the incident and before the formal case was registered.
Patiya Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Ziaul Haque said a police team, led by Sub-Inspector Md. Mosharraf Hossain, arrested the accused woman before the case was filed. He added that the process of forwarding the case to court was underway.
