Faridpur court jails husband for life over dowry killing

A court in Faridpur has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for killing his wife after she failed to meet his dowry demand. The verdict was delivered on Thursday (March 12) by Judge Shamima Parveen of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Faridpur.

The convicted man, Ahad Sheikh (33), was also fined Tk 50,000. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to serve an additional one year in prison without hard labour.

Ahad Sheikh is from Kazi Ballabhdi village in Ballabhdi union of Saltha upazila. The victim, Rubaiya Begum (25), was from Kagdi village in Majhardia union of the same upazila.

Ahad was present in court during the announcement of the verdict and was later sent to jail under police custody.

According to the case statement, Ahad married Rubaiya in 2015, and the couple later had a daughter. About three years after the marriage, Ahad demanded Tk 300,000 from his wife’s family to finance his travel to Saudi Arabia. The family managed to pay Tk 100,000.

When the remaining Tk 200,000 was not paid, Ahad allegedly tortured his wife and later forced poison into her mouth on August 1, 2018, leading to her death.

Following the incident, Rubaiya’s mother, Romesha Begum (54), filed a case with Saltha Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act against five people, including Ahad, his mother and three brothers.

The case was investigated by Inspector Md Aminuzzaman of the Faridpur District CID. After the investigation, police submitted a charge sheet against Ahad Sheikh and his two brothers, Mohammad Sheikh (38) and Mahim Sheikh (34), on June 23, 2019.

Public Prosecutor Golam Rabbani said the court found Ahad guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The court acquitted the two brothers as the charges against them could not be proven.

He added that dowry-related violence remains a serious social problem and welcomed the verdict as a step toward justice.