Ex-army officer found dead in Mohakhali

A retired brigadier general of Bangladesh Army was killed allegedly by his house help in a Mohakhali flat on Wednesday.

Widowed Brig Gen (retd) Wajih Ahmed Chowdhury, 76, was a father of two.

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Accusing house help Abdul Ahad, 35, a murder case has been filed yesterday with Kafrul Police Station.

Family members alleged that Ahad, who is now on the run, made off with a few valuables, including a laptop, a mobile phone and a TV set, from the flat.

Wajih was living with his younger son Fuad Ahmed Chowdhury at the flat on the second floor of a five-storey building in Mohakhali DOHS area. Wajih's elder son lives in the US.

The trio were at the flat during the incident, said police, quoting relatives.

Fuad said he was sleeping in his room. When he woke up around noon, he found his room door locked from the outside. He later came down via the balcony.

Breaking the lock with help of security guards, he found that the TV set on the living room wall was missing.

Later, he found his father lying on the floor of his bedroom. His throat, hands and legs were tied, added Fuad.

They rushed him to nearby Combined Military Hospital where doctors declared him dead around 1:30pm.

Sources at Dhaka Medical College morgue, where an autopsy of the body was conducted, said the victim was strangled to death. Marks of bruises were also visible on the body.

Shikder Shamim Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kafrul Police Station, said the house help went into hiding after the incident.

Plaintiff of the case, Reshad Ahmed Chowdhury, a nephew of the victim, said Ahad, from Biswanath of Sylhet, had been working for Wajih for three months.

He said a cousin of Ahad worked for about eight years at Wajih's flat and that Wajih had sent him abroad for a better life.

Reshad said it was beyond his understanding that Ahad could do such a heinous crime only to steal a few valuables.

A security guard of the flat claimed that he had heard sounds from Wajih's flat in the morning.