The victim, Advocate Sayma Khanum, 44, was a former cultural affairs secretary of Dhaka Bar Association. She was also one of the prosecution lawyers of the sensational Shazneen case.

Hearing the news that a youth believed to be acquainted with Sayma slit her throat, relatives rushed to the 15th floor house at Prince Tower around 12:45pm. She was pronounced dead on arrival at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Police could not find any clue to the murder. They suspect Sayma might have been killed as a sequel to her cases or over personal enmity.

Newmarket police detained her domestic helps -- Mina, 22, and Aleya, 12 -- who were present during the gruesome murder.

The victim's eight-year-old daughter Ayman Jara Tofa, a class III student of Scholar School and College in Dhanmondi, was asleep during the killing. Her husband, a retired PWD engineer, and son Ali Sayem Rumman, a doctor of Central Hospital, were outside the house.

Mina told the police she opened the door hearing doorbell and saw a tall youth aged around 26 who looked for Sayma.

"Madam came and seeing the youth uttered, 'Oh you, come in please," Mina told journalists. "They were having a conversation in the drawing room and I returned to kitchen."

A few minutes later Aleya found the youth washing blood of his hand. Both of them also saw the youth searching Sayma's bedroom.

Mina and Aleya told the police they realised Sayma was killed but did not raise an alarm fearing the same consequence. They informed the matter to relatives and neighbours when the killer disappeared.

Sayma's brother Mozammel Haq Khan told The Daily Star he received a call from a relative, who informed him that Sayma's house was being robbed off. He called Sayma who in feeble tone said, "Save me brother, I'm being killed." Then someone disconnected the phone.

The murderer took away three mobile sets including two of the victim.