Police have arrested a man and his sister for allegedly torturing a housewife and forcibly cutting off her hair after her family failed to meet their continuous demands for dowry money in Pabna’s Ishwardi upazila.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Chand Ali Khan, a local brick kiln worker, and his sister Santana Khatun. Both are residents of Babulchara village under Sahapur union.
The arrests were made during a late-night police raid at around 2:00 AM on Friday, following a formal case filed by the victim, Tania Khatun.
According to the victim's statement, her family had previously paid Tk 1.5 lakh in dowry to Chand Ali at the time of their marriage. However, her husband and sister-in-law allegedly continued to pressure her for additional cash infusions. When Tania explained that her father could no longer afford the payments, the demands turned into routine physical abuse.
"My husband flew into a rage because I could not bring more cash from my father's home," Tania stated. "He began beating me severely. Then, with the active help of my sister-in-law Santana, he pinned me down and forcibly sheared off my hair with a hair clipper."
Following the assault, Tania's relatives rescued her from the house and escorted her to the Ishwardi Police Station to seek protection and lodge an official police complaint.
Ishwardi Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ashadur Rahman confirmed that a regular case under the Prevention of Women and Children Repression Act was registered immediately upon receiving the victim's formal deposition.
"We launched a swift overnight operation and apprehended both accused individuals from the Babulchara area," OC Rahman stated. "Forcible head-shaving and physical torture over dowry are severe, non-bailable offenses under Bangladeshi law. The suspects will be produced before the court, and we are pursuing strict legal actions against them."
