A man allegedly stabbed his sister to death and injured his brother in Khilgaon area in the capital on Wednesday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as Rumi Akter, 34. Her brother Md Babul, 53, was injured in the incident. He was receiving treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital with stab injuries.
Their younger brother Abdus Salam, 40, was detained following the incident. Police said that Salam carried out the attack under the influence of drugs, police said.
The tragic incident took place at about 4:30pm at a house in West Nabinbagh Garments Lane. With critically injured, Rumi was rushed to DMCH where the on duty doctors declared him dead around 5:30pm.
Rumi was a mother of three sons and had been living with her children at her father's house in the Nabinbagh area after her husband left them two to three years ago to marry someone else. Rumi worked as a housemaid to support her family.
Salam’s wife Julekha Akter revealed that her husband, previously a rickshaw driver, is currently unemployed and a drug abuser.
This habit caused frequent conflicts between the couple. Two weeks earlier, Salam had physically assaulted Julekha severely, leading to a family intervention where Salam promised to quit drugs.
According to Julekha, the family was without food for the last two days. On Wednesday, a quarrel erupted between the couple, prompting Julekha to decide to leave the house with their children and return to her parents' home. Salam, enraged by this, started an argument and called his elder brother Babul to intervene.
When Babul sided with Julekha and suggested Salam quit taking illegal drugs, Salam became furious. He grabbed a sharp pair of scissors and attacked Babul. When their younger sister Rumi tried to save him, Salam stabbed her in the back.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Khilgaon Police Station Daud Hossain said the siblings have been in a long-running dispute over properties. Salam has been taken into custody, and Rumi's body has been sent to DMCH morgue for autopsy.
