RAB arrests main accused in Kurigram housewife murder case

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-13) have arrested the main absconding accused in the murder of a housewife in Kurigram’s Nageshwari upazila.

RAB-13 confirmed the arrest in a press release on Friday (March 6). The accused, Md. Abul Kalam (35), was arrested during a raid on Thursday night.

According to the case statement, Abul Kalam and his associates allegedly made sexual advances toward the younger sister of the victim, Shahida Khatun, offering her Tk 5,000. When the matter became known, Shahida Khatun and her younger brother called for a village arbitration. However, the accused did not attend the scheduled meeting, leaving the issue unresolved.

Police said that on January 14 at around 7:30 pm, Shahida Khatun was washing rice beside a tube well in the courtyard of her house when Abul Kalam and his accomplices, who had reportedly been waiting nearby, attacked her with a sharp weapon and slit her throat.

Following the incident, the victim’s father, Md. Saifur Rahman, filed a murder case with Kachakata Police Station. The case was registered as Case No. 5.

The killing sparked widespread concern in the local community. In response, RAB intensified efforts to locate and arrest the suspects.

Acting on a tip-off, a team from RAB-13’s Sadar Company conducted a raid on the house of Md. Abdul Matin Ansari in the Station Road area under Badarganj Police Station in Rangpur district on the night of March 5. During the operation, they arrested the main accused, Abul Kalam.

RAB said Abul Kalam is a resident of the Char Harikesh area in Kurigram Sadar upazila. He has been handed over to the concerned police station for further legal action.

RAB-13 Additional Superintendent of Police Biplob Kumar Gombami said operations against serious crimes, including murder, rape, extortion and drug trafficking, will continue.