A woman has confessed in court to killing her two-year-old stepson, Waskuruni Islam, by making him ingest poison in Gouripur upazila of Mymensingh, according to police. Investigators said Ak lima Akter considered the child an obstacle because he was born to her husband’s previous wife. Meanwhile, police have sought a five-day remand for the boy’s father, Abdul Kadir, to investigate his alleged involvement in the incident.
Ak lima recorded her confessional statement on Friday afternoon before Tahmina Akter, a judge at the Mymensingh Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Following the statement, the court ordered that she be sent to jail.
The development was confirmed by Mymensingh court inspector P S M Mostachinur Rahman and Gouripur Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Md Habibur Rahman.
Court inspector Mostachinur Rahman said Ak lima had admitted responsibility for the child’s death in her statement before the court. The judge subsequently ordered her detention in jail.
Child dies after allegedly being given poison
According to police and family sources, the incident took place on Tuesday at the family’s home in Birpur Dattabari village in Gouripur upazila. Waskuruni was allegedly given poison and later taken to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital for treatment. He died while receiving medical care.
On Thursday evening, the child’s mother, Shefali Begum, filed a written complaint with the police. The complaint was subsequently registered as a case, and officers arrested the child’s father, Abdul Kadir, and stepmother, Ak lima Akter.
OC Md Habibur Rahman said Ak lima’s statement indicated that she regarded Waskuruni as an obstacle because he was the son of her husband’s previous wife. According to the police account of her confession, she admitted to killing the child to remove that obstacle.
Mother alleges attempt to conceal the death
Shefali Begum has alleged that both Abdul Kadir and his current wife were involved in her son’s killing. She also claimed that an attempt was made to take the child’s body from the hospital without informing her and arrange a secret burial by presenting the stepmother as the boy’s biological mother.
Shefali said she learnt about the alleged attempt from local people. She subsequently approached the police and demanded a proper investigation and justice for her son.
The allegations concerning the handling of the child’s body have yet to be independently established through the investigation. Police are also examining whether the father had any involvement in the death.
OC Habibur Rahman said investigators had applied to the court to place Abdul Kadir on a five-day remand for questioning. The application is awaiting a hearing.
Family background
According to local sources, Abdul Kadir married Shefali Begum, who is from Bara Kalihar village in the same upazila, in 2015. The couple had two children: Jayanal Abedin, eight, and Waskuruni Islam, two.
The couple divorced in November last year. Abdul Kadir married Ak lima Akter about a week after the separation. He subsequently lived with his second wife and his two children from his previous marriage.
The child’s death and the allegations surrounding an attempted secret burial have raised serious questions about the circumstances of the incident. Although the stepmother’s confessional statement marks a significant development in the investigation, further inquiries are needed to establish the full sequence of events.
Investigators must also determine whether the father had any role in the incident and verify the allegations concerning the handling of the child’s body. The allegations against him have not yet been conclusively established through the judicial process.
Shefali Begum has called for justice for her son. The investigation and subsequent court proceedings are expected to establish the circumstances of Waskuruni’s death and the respective roles, if any, of those accused in the case.
