The four children of slain Awami League leader and veteran businessman Md. Abdus Sattar and his wife Suraiya Akter are currently living abroad following the triple murder at their home in the Mitali residential area of Sylhet city.
The couple had two sons and two daughters? Actually, according to family sources, they had four children—one son and one daughter living in the United States and two daughters residing in the United Kingdom.
Family sources said the two daughters living in the UK are scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh on Thursday. Their flight was originally expected to land at around 9:30am but was delayed, and they are now expected to reach Sylhet at around 1:30pm. Meanwhile, the couple’s son, former Chhatra Dal leader Arif Iftekhar, is scheduled to return home from the United States on Friday.
Meanwhile, police recovered a knife allegedly used in the triple murder at around 11am on Thursday (August 13). The bodies of the slain couple are currently being kept at the morgue of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College. Relatives said the funeral prayer and burial will be held after the autopsy and once the expatriate children arrive in the country.
Khan Mohammad Mainul Zakir, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station, confirmed the matter.
The triple murder took place at around 9am on Wednesday (August 12) at House No. 111 in the Mitali area of Raynagar. The victims were identified as Md. Abdus Sattar, 82, son of late Abru Mia of Akhakhajna in Beanibazar and owner of the house; his wife Suraiya Begum, 76; and their domestic worker Tahmina, 25.
Police said they arrested Bablu Mia, 40, a resident of Aktar Mia’s colony in the Raynagar Rajbari area, at around 3:30pm on Wednesday—within four hours of the killings. He is the son of late Nur Mia, a traditional practitioner, and allegedly confessed to the murders during police questioning.
Based on information provided by Bablu, police launched a search for the knife used in the killings. At around 11am on Thursday, officers recovered the weapon from a location indicated by him.
Sylhet Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sarwar Murshed Shamim told reporters that Bablu had been in a romantic relationship with domestic worker Tahmina. As they knew each other previously, Bablu went to the house on Wednesday. When he knocked on the door, Tahmina opened it and allowed him inside.
Police said Bablu later went to a room and attempted to have a physical relationship with Tahmina. When she refused, an argument broke out. At one point, Bablu allegedly attacked Tahmina with a knife. When Suraiya came forward, she was also stabbed. Abdus Sattar then intervened and got into a struggle with Bablu, during which he was also stabbed.
After allegedly killing all three victims, Bablu fled through the balcony and returned to his home in the Raynagar area. A special police team later went there and arrested him. During questioning, police said, he admitted his involvement in the killings.
Khan Mohammad Mainul Zakir, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station, said the suspect was identified with the help of local residents and CCTV footage. He said Bablu did not leave the area after the incident and was staying at Aktar Mia’s colony in Raynagar Rajbari.
Police conducted a plainclothes operation and detained him. At the time of his arrest, he was wearing a red T-shirt and had marks on his hand consistent with a knife injury.
“The process of filing a case over the murders is underway,” the officer said, adding that police had spoken with the victims’ daughters and that they were returning to Bangladesh.
Abdus Sattar’s ancestral home was in Akhakhajna in Beanibazar. He was known as a senior figure in the Mitali residential area of Raynagar. He was a former director of the Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry and had previously been involved in the coal trade.
Sattar also served as an adviser to Ward No. 19 of the Sylhet Metropolitan Awami League. He owned two three-storey houses in the Mitali residential area, including House No. 111, where he lived on the second floor. Tenants occupied the other floors and flats.
Sattar lived in the house with his wife Suraiya Begum and their domestic worker Tahmina. The couple’s four children—one son and three daughters—live abroad, with the son and one daughter in the United States and two daughters in the United Kingdom. Sattar was elderly and reportedly suffered from several health conditions.
