Bengal: Man held for killing Bangladeshi woman near border

The police arrested one person for killing a Bangladeshi woman, whose body with throat slit and face burnt beyond recognition, was found near the Indo-Bangladesh border in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district earlier this week, an officer said on Friday.

The woman was a Bangladeshi citizen employed in a beauty parlour in Mumbai and was returning home when she was killed apparently for money, Basirhat Police District Superintendent of Police, Joby Thomas SK, said after preliminary investigation.

“Such people generally carry a good amount of money and ornaments while returning to Bangladesh. But nothing was found from the victim’s bag which was found near the body. So, we suspect that those were looted from her before being murdered,” Thomas told a press conference at Swarupnagar police station.

From her bag, the police had found a spectacle case bearing an address of Faridpur in Bangladesh, which helped the force ascertain her identity.

“We already talked to her family members. They will be coming here. Details will emerge after we interrogate the arrested man,” the SP said.

The man was arrested in Bikhari village under Swarupnagar police station on Thursday night. Investigations are on to find out if he had any accomplices.

Thomas said, “The police are not yet sure whether the victim entered India legally. We hope to get information on it only after her family members reach here from Dhaka.” The body, with hands and legs tied, was found by locals in an uninhabited place, nearly a kilometre from the international border, on September 26 morning.

“We are yet to receive the post-mortem examination report. So we cannot tell you exactly how she died,” the police officer said.

The police will also inform the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission of the incident. PTI COR NN