A schoolgirl was brutally murdered at a rented apartment in South Banasree of the capital on Saturday, police said.
The incident reportedly took place between 1:30pm and 3:30pm at a house named Pritom Villa at Block L, on the main road of South Banasree, Dhaka. The victim’s throat was slit using a sharp weapon.
The deceased was identified as Fatema Akter Lily (17), a Class 10 student of a local school, Radiant School.
According to police and family members, Lily was the daughter of Sajib Miah from Bamoin village in Lakhai upazila of Habiganj district. She lived with her family at the rented apartment under Khilgaon police station area.
Lily’s elder sister Shuva said their parents had travelled to their village home on Wednesday (January 7) over a land-related issue. The family also runs a hotel business in the city.
She further said that on Thursday night around 11pm, a hotel employee named Milon came to the apartment to collect food, during which Lily reportedly behaved rudely with him. Milon again visited the apartment around noon on Saturday to collect food.
Shuva said she left the apartment around 1:30pm to go to the gym and asked Lily to lock the door from inside. When she returned later, she found the main gate locked, but the apartment door open and household items scattered.
“Inside the room, I found Lily lying curled up on the floor. At first, I thought she had been hit on the head. But after removing her hijab, I saw a rope tied around her neck and her throat slit with a cleaver,” Shuva said, adding that the family suspects hotel employee Milon.
Police said the death is being treated as a murder, though the motive and identity of the perpetrator are yet to be determined.
Khilgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Shafiqul Islam confirmed the incident, saying police are investigating the matter to uncover the cause behind the killing.