Police have recovered the knife allegedly used in the triple murder in Sylhet. The weapon was recovered at around 11am on Thursday (August 13).
Khan Mohammad Mainul Zakir, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station, confirmed the matter.
The killings took place at around 9am on Wednesday (August 12) at House No. 111 in the Mitali residential area of Raynagar in Sylhet city. The victims were identified as Md. Abdus Sattar, 82, owner of the house and son of late Abru Mia of Akhakhajna in Beanibazar; 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 healer. Following his arrest, police said, Bablu confessed to his involvement in the killings.
Based on information provided by Bablu, police launched a search for the knife used in the murders. At around 11am on Thursday, officers recovered the weapon from a location indicated by the accused.
Describing the arrest and the alleged motive behind the killings, 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. Tahmina opened the door after he knocked and allowed him inside. Police said Bablu later went into 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 intervened, she was also stabbed. Abdus Sattar then came forward and got into a scuffle with Bablu before being stabbed to death, according to police.
After allegedly killing all three victims, Bablu fled through the balcony and returned to his home in the Raynagar area. Members of a special police team later went there and arrested him. Police said he admitted his involvement in the killings during interrogation.
Abdus Sattar’s ancestral home was in Akhakhajna, 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.
He also served as an adviser to Ward No. 19 of the Sylhet Metropolitan Awami League.
Sattar owned two three-storey houses in the Mitali residential area, including House No. 111, where he lived on the second floor. The other floors were rented out.
He lived with his wife, Suraiya Begum, and their domestic worker, Tahmina. Sattar had four children—three daughters and one son. One son and one daughter live in the United States, while two daughters live in the United Kingdom. Sattar was elderly and reportedly suffered from several health conditions.
