A Jamaat-e-Islami leader has been sent to jail in connection with the murder of an elderly woman in Lakshmipur, following the rejection of his bail petition by a court.
The accused, Abu Bakar Siddique, appeared before the Lakshmipur Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on Monday (3 August) and sought bail. The court rejected his application and ordered that he be remanded in jail.
Siddique is reportedly a Rukon, or organisational member, of Jamaat-e-Islami in Char Kalkini Union of Kamalnagar upazila. He is the son of Ali Ullah Howlader of Char Shamsuddin village in the same union.
According to the case documents and police sources, Siddique is named as an accused in the charge sheet filed in the murder case of Saleha Begum. Investigators allege that he had secretly married Saleha, although the relationship later ended in separation.
The investigation reportedly found that Siddique had taken Tk 3 million from Saleha on the pretext of purchasing land. However, he allegedly failed to purchase the land and later demanded a further Tk 2 million. The dispute over the money is believed by investigators to have contributed to the deterioration of their relationship.
Police allege that Siddique subsequently arranged for a man named Selim, described in the case records as a floating or homeless person, to kill Saleha in exchange for Tk 50,000.
Saleha’s body was recovered on 16 June 2025 from an abandoned homestead belonging to a person identified as Nunu Sardar, near the Motirhat area along the Meghna River in Kamalnagar. Following the discovery, her daughter, Fatema Begum, filed a murder case against unidentified individuals.
Kamalnagar police later arrested Selim during the investigation. According to police, he confessed to his involvement in the killing. In a statement recorded before the court, Selim reportedly said that he had taken Saleha to an isolated location, where he assaulted and strangled her. He also allegedly took her gold jewellery and went into hiding afterwards.
Selim’s statement also reportedly implicated Siddique. According to the account presented during the investigation, Siddique and Saleha had married secretly, and the dispute over the money allegedly preceded the killing. Police subsequently submitted an investigation report naming both Selim and Siddique as accused.
Selim is already in custody, while Siddique had remained at large. The court had earlier issued an arrest warrant against him. His appearance before the tribunal on Monday marked his surrender in the case.
Amzad Hossain, counsel for the complainant, said the court had rejected Siddique’s bail petition and ordered that he be sent to jail. The murder case remains under judicial proceedings.
Members of Saleha’s family have demanded the highest punishment for those accused of her killing. Her sons, Sharif Uddin and Ariful Islam, alleged that Siddique had married their mother without their knowledge and that the relationship later ended. They claimed that the financial dispute that followed ultimately led to the alleged killing.
The family has urged the court to ensure justice and impose the maximum punishment if the accused are found guilty.
The allegations against Siddique and Selim remain subject to the ongoing judicial process. Their guilt or innocence will ultimately be determined by the court based on the evidence and applicable law.
