The victim, identified as Khushi Begum, was targeted near Tower Goli on Road No. 7 in the Jinnahpara neighbourhood under Labanchara Police Station. Police have launched an investigation into the killing, with a possible drug-related dispute emerging as one of the initial lines of inquiry.
Khushi was the daughter of Khokon, a resident of the area, and the wife of a man known as Blade Babu. She was the mother of two children, a son and a daughter.
According to local residents, the incident occurred shortly after Khushi stepped outside her house on Thursday evening. A group of four to five assailants, who were reportedly lying in wait nearby, suddenly opened fire on her.
One of the bullets struck her in the head, leaving her critically injured. The attackers also allegedly assaulted her with sharp weapons before escaping from the scene on motorcycles.
Following the shooting, Khushi was rescued and rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital for emergency treatment. However, doctors pronounced her dead after she was brought to the hospital.
The victim’s mother, who witnessed the attack, provided an account of the moments leading up to her daughter’s death.
She said she and Khushi were standing outside their home when a young man named Miraj approached them. According to her account, the young man asked a question about how someone named Miraj was doing.
Moments later, the assailants opened fire, shooting Khushi in the head directly in front of her mother. The attackers then fled the area on motorcycles.
The precise circumstances surrounding the young man’s approach remain unclear, and investigators have not established whether the encounter was connected to the subsequent shooting.
The killing has raised concerns about security in the residential neighbourhood, particularly because the attackers reportedly carried out the assault in an open area near the victim’s home.
Police are now examining the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the identities of those involved and the possible motive behind the attack.
Officer-in-Charge Syed Mosharraf Hossain of Labanchara Police Station confirmed that an investigation was under way to determine who carried out the killing and why Khushi had been targeted.
He said the victim’s body had been kept at the morgue of Khulna Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
The examination is expected to help establish the medical cause of death and clarify the nature of the injuries, including the reported wounds inflicted with sharp weapons.
According to the preliminary police inquiry, investigators suspect that the killing may have stemmed from a dispute involving narcotics. However, no definitive conclusion has been reached, and the authorities have not disclosed evidence establishing a direct connection between the attack and drug-related activities.
Investigators will also need to establish whether the assailants had planned the attack in advance and whether any previous dispute may have played a role.
The statement provided by Khushi’s mother could prove significant in reconstructing the sequence of events, particularly the moments immediately preceding the shooting.
The reported involvement of several attackers and their escape on motorcycles are also among the circumstances that police will need to examine as they work to identify those responsible.
No arrests have been confirmed in the information available so far.
The killing has left Khushi’s two children without their mother, while her family faces the devastating circumstances of her death.
Police say efforts are continuing to establish the motive, identify the perpetrators and determine the full sequence of events surrounding the fatal attack.
