Murder, not suicide! Police unravel 13yr-old case of Ex-MP Khan Majlis' wife's death

Thirteen years ago, Selima Khan Majlish, 63, wife of former president of Dhaka District Awami League Shamsuddoha Khan Majlish, was found in a bloody state. 

Later, she died while undergoing treatment in a hospital. 

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Police submitted the probe report four years after the incident, terming it a suicide.

However, another investigation by the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) revealed new information that Selima was actually killed.

Selima's elder daughter Shamima Taher Poppy and her lover Subal Roy were directly involved in the murder, said PBI Chief Banaj Kumar Majumder while addressing a press conference at the PBI headquarters in Dhanmondi of the capital on Tuesday (2 July).

"We launched the investigation under instructions from police headquarters. Upon commencing the probe, we listed all three daughters of the couple, including the eldest daughter Shamima Taher Poppy, as suspects," he said.

"We began tracing individuals who frequented the victim's residence and identified Subal Roy, an electrician who regularly visited. We later discovered that Subal had been employed as an electrician at Savar police station for the past 30 years, and he also operates a large grocery store nearby," said the PBI chief.

Further investigation revealed that Selima's death resulted from an electric shock delivered by Subal, with assistance from Shamima Taher Poppy.

Subal Kumar, aged 50, was apprehended and placed in custody, said Banaj Kumar.

The PBI chief, quoting Subal's confession during interrogation, said, "The victim's elder daughter, Shamina Taher, resided on the ground floor with her husband. Subal occasionally visited their residence due to business ties with her husband. At one point, Shamima and Subal became involved in an affair. When this was discovered in 2001, he was assaulted and forbidden from entering their house thereafter."

Subal got married in 2008 and again started frequenting Shamina Taher Poppy's house. When Selima found out about the affair, Subal and Shamima attacked Selima Khan with the intention of killing her, Banaj Kumar said.

How they carried out the murder 

On the day of the incident, Selima Khan was on the rooftop of the building during Fajr prayers when she spotted Subal slowly approaching their house. Upon seeing him, she screamed and rushed downstairs. Subal and Shamima intercepted her upstairs to silence her cries, according to PBI.

In an attempt to silence Selima, Shamima seized her and attempted to slit her throat, though unsuccessfully. Subal then broke an electric switchboard, extracted two wires, and used them to administer a fatal electric shock to Selima's head in the kitchen.

The body was later discovered in the bedroom and taken to the hospital.

The PBI has apprehended Subal, Shamima, and Aarti Sarkar, a household maid over the incident.