Three arrested for murder of Gazipur shopkeeper

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has arrested three men for the murder of a woman in the Meghdubi area of Pubail, Gazipur. The suspects were apprehended in Rangpur on Friday night.

The victim, Shefali Begum Kulsum (46), operated a tea stall and rented out rooms in her home. According to the PBI, she was hacked to death inside her residence sometime between the afternoon and night of April 26.

The arrestees are Kamruzzaman (35), Amjad Hossain (30), and Afzal Hossain (33). All three are originally from Gangachara, Rangpur, and worked as day laborers in Gazipur.

On Saturday, Kamruzzaman and Amjad Hossain gave confessional statements before the Gazipur Metropolitan Court. The court granted a two-day remand for the third suspect, Afzal Hossain.

PBI investigations revealed the suspects owed several thousand taka to Shefali’s shop. A dispute over these debts led them to plot a robbery, under the impression that Shefali kept significant cash and gold at home.

On the day of the incident, the suspects entered the house under the guise of a social visit, bringing snacks laced with sleeping pills. Once Shefali lost consciousness, they struck her with a bamboo stick before killing her with sharp knives.

The suspects fled with 3,250 taka and jewelry, which they later discovered was "City Gold" (imitation) when attempting to sell it in Rangpur.

PBI Gazipur Superintendent Md. Rakibul Akhter stated that the case was solved using information technology and intelligence gathering. Police have recovered the knife and bamboo stick used in the killing.

Following the murder, the victim’s daughter filed a case with Pubail Police Station, which was later taken up by the PBI.