A 60-year-old woman was found dead with serious injuries inside her home in Shibganj, Chapainawabganj, while her 75-year-old husband was found hanging from a ceiling fan hook in the same room. Relatives believe the elderly man killed his wife with a sharp agricultural sickle before taking his own life.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon in Rasiknagar Babupur village, under Noyalাভanga Union of Shibganj upazila. The deceased woman has been identified as Monowara Begum, 60, while her husband was identified as Mofizul Haque, 75.
According to police and family members, Mofizul had been experiencing mental health problems for several years and had been receiving treatment. Investigators believe a domestic dispute may have preceded the incident, although the exact circumstances leading to the deaths have yet to be established.
Family members said the couple were inside their home when the incident apparently took place. At some point, Mofizul allegedly attacked Monowara with a sharp sickle, leaving her critically injured. He is then believed to have hanged himself from the hook used to suspend the ceiling fan.
The deaths came to light later in the evening when Shapla Begum, the wife of the couple’s expatriate son, returned home after attending an invitation. She found the door locked and, concerned about what might have happened inside, looked through a window.
She reportedly saw her mother-in-law lying on the floor in a blood-soaked condition. She immediately informed local residents, who gathered outside the house. They subsequently broke open the door and entered the room, where they found Monowara dead on the floor and Mofizul hanging from the ceiling fan hook.
Police were informed and arrived at the scene at around 8pm. Officers recovered both bodies and sent them to the morgue at the 250-bed Chapainawabganj District Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
The post-mortem examinations are expected to help establish the precise causes and circumstances of the deaths. Police are also examining the available evidence at the scene as part of their investigation.
Mofizul’s two sons-in-law, Rafiqul Islam and Yusuf Ali, told police that he had been mentally unwell and had undergone treatment for several years. They said the family had been aware of his condition.
Rafiqul said the family did not intend to file a complaint against anyone else, arguing that the person they believed to be responsible had also died. The family, he said, had no allegation against any other individual.
Shibganj police chief Matiur Rahman confirmed that an unnatural-death case had been filed in connection with the incident. Police are also preparing a murder case over Monowara Begum’s death.
The authorities have not yet publicly established a definitive motive. While the family has pointed to Mofizul’s longstanding mental health problems and a possible domestic dispute, the exact sequence of events will depend on the investigation and post-mortem findings. Until those processes are completed, the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain subject to police investigation.
