A 12-year trail of serious criminal allegations surrounding Moniruzzaman Matubbar, also known as Hridoy, has come under renewed scrutiny following his arrest over the deaths of a pregnant woman and her husband in Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka.
Moniruzzaman was first accused of killing his wife in 2014 in Nagarkanda, Faridpur. He was arrested in connection with the case and spent four years in prison before being released on bail in 2018. After briefly returning home, he allegedly disappeared again, despite remaining wanted in the case.
Police say he subsequently became involved in a series of serious offences. His name also surfaced in an investigation into the alleged gang rape and killing of a woman. His latest arrest has now linked him to the deaths of Nazma Begum, 39, and her husband, Alamgir Kabir, 45, in Ashulia.
Following his arrest, Moniruzzaman allegedly admitted responsibility for the couple’s deaths during questioning and later gave a confessional statement before a court. He is currently being held at Dhaka Central Jail.
Wife’s killing was the first major case
Moniruzzaman, also known as Monir Hossain and Hridoy Matubbar, is 44. His family home is in Damdardi village in Nagarkanda upazila of Faridpur. He is the third of six siblings.
Family members described him as having a difficult temperament from an early age, while police records indicate that he was involved in conflicts with neighbours and other local residents. His family had hoped marriage would help him lead a more settled life, but that expectation was not fulfilled.
In 2014, police accused him of killing his wife, Rahela Begum, in Nagarkanda. According to the investigation, he allegedly strangled her while she was asleep and then fled.
A murder case was filed at Nagarkanda police station. Abdul Quddus, who was then a sub-inspector and the investigating officer, said police eventually tracked Moniruzzaman down in Dhaka and arrested him.
A charge sheet was submitted to the court in the wife-killing case. Moniruzzaman subsequently spent four years in prison before securing bail in 2018.
His return to normal life, however, was short-lived. After staying at home for some time, he allegedly left again and went into hiding. As he remained a fugitive in the case, the court issued an arrest warrant against him.
He moved to Ashulia after securing bail
Following his release, Moniruzzaman settled in Ashulia, in Savar, where he lived away from his home district. Police say it was during this period that allegations of further serious offences began to emerge against him.
The latest case concerns a couple whose bodies were recovered from a residential flat in Jamgora, central Ashulia.
On the night of 5 September, police broke open the locked door of the flat and recovered the bodies of Nazma Begum and her husband, Alamgir Kabir.
Nazma’s body was found on a bed. She was pregnant, and the body of her unborn child was also found at the scene after she suffered severe injuries. Alamgir’s body was discovered in the same room, with a rope around his neck and his body suspended from a ceiling fan.
Nazma worked at a garment factory. Alamgir had previously worked in the garment sector but was unemployed at the time of the incident. Both were originally from Nawabganj upazila in Dinajpur.
Nazma’s elder sister, Shapla Begum, filed a murder case with Ashulia police against unidentified people. The Dhaka district unit of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) later took charge of the investigation.
PBI identifies Moniruzzaman as a suspect
Investigators initially had no clear lead in the double killing, according to PBI officials. The investigation subsequently turned towards Moniruzzaman after intelligence gathered by the agency pointed to him as a suspect.
He was detained from the Narshingpur area of Ashulia on 8 September.
According to PBI, Moniruzzaman admitted during questioning that he had killed Alamgir and Nazma. He allegedly provided investigators with details of what had happened inside the flat.
Acting on information he provided, investigators recovered Nazma’s purse, mobile phone, SIM card and identity documents.
The confession was later placed before a court, where Moniruzzaman gave a confessional statement in connection with the case.
Relationship dispute allegedly led to confrontation
According to the PBI investigation, Moniruzzaman became acquainted with Alamgir after moving to Ashulia. Their homes were close to each other. At the time, Alamgir was unemployed, while Moniruzzaman was involved in vegetable trading.
Investigators said Moniruzzaman had developed a relationship with Nazma and had allegedly held out the prospect of marrying her. After Alamgir learned about the relationship, tensions developed between the two men.
On 2 September, Alamgir and Nazma invited Moniruzzaman to their home. According to investigators, Alamgir confronted him over his relationship with Nazma after he arrived. What began as an argument reportedly escalated into a physical struggle.
PBI said Nazma struck Moniruzzaman with a broom during the confrontation. He allegedly responded by kicking her in the abdomen, causing her to fall onto the bed and suffer fatal injuries. Her unborn child also died.
Alamgir then allegedly attacked Moniruzzaman with a kitchen utensil and a pipe. During the ensuing confrontation, Moniruzzaman is accused of wrapping a towel around Alamgir’s neck and strangling him.
Investigators say he then suspended Alamgir’s body from the ceiling fan. He allegedly took Nazma’s Android mobile phone, SIM card, identity documents and purse to his own residence.
Earlier allegations add to the investigation
The Ashulia case has brought renewed attention to Moniruzzaman’s earlier murder case and other allegations linked to him over the past 12 years.
Police have said his name also emerged in a separate case involving the alleged gang rape and killing of a woman. The details and legal status of that case remain matters for the relevant investigation and court proceedings.
The Ashulia investigation is now focused on establishing the sequence of events through physical evidence, witness accounts, recovered belongings and other investigative findings. Moniruzzaman’s court statement will also have to be considered alongside the wider body of evidence.
The case therefore represents another major stage in the investigation of a man who, according to police records and investigators, has repeatedly come under suspicion in serious criminal cases since the alleged killing of his wife in 2014.
