'Serial killer' yet to be identified
Police are yet to identify the “serial killer” who in the span of less than two months murdered three women and injured two other females in the capital's Dakkhin Khan area last year.
The murders were committed between July and September. Both the dead and the wounded were landladies.
According to police, all the attacks were carried out by a single person.
More than three weeks ago, law enforcers made a sketch of the suspect, and they were now trying to find a match in their database.
Police said the suspect would be around 31-35 years old. However, they were yet to pinpoint the motive behind the killings.
Posing as a potential tenant, the suspect, dressed in suit, attacked five landladies, said Sheikh Rokonuzzaman, inspector (investigation) of Dakkhin Khan Police Station.
“In our investigation, we've found that all five attacks were carried out by a single person. His identity still remains a mystery, but we are trying our best to identify him,” he added.
He could not say why landladies were targeted. The inspector said they suspect the killer might be suffering from mental illness.
Asked how they made the sketch, he said they analysed CCTV footage in Dakkhin Khan area, talked to the victims' families and locals to make the sketch.
On why the sketch was not released, the police official said they did not release it for the sake of the investigation.
According to investigators, the first attack was on July 24 last year. Landlady Sahida Begum of North Gawair in Dakkhin Khan was visited by a man who wanted to rent a flat. Followed by a discussion, the man asked Sahida to show him the flat.
Her body was later found on the floor of the empty flat.
Just a day after, Mahira Begum, 50, of Askona came under attack. Although she survived, she got hurt.
The next attack was reported on August 21 when Suraiya Akther, a landlady in East Mollartek, was killed in the same manner.
On August 31, the suspect tried to kill Jebunnesa Chowdhury, owner of a house in Dakkhin Khan of Azampur. She survived the attack following a month-long treatment.
The latest attack took place on September 7 on Wahida Akther Shima, 48, of Danipara area of Gawair in Dakkhin Khan. Her family members found her body and took her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
Her husband, Sohrab Hossain, filed a murder case with Dakkhin Khan Police Station.
According to the case statement, the youth was aged between 25 and 28, and around 5 feet 6 inches tall. He had small hair, wore a suit, and carried a bag.
Ziaul Huq Majumder, brother-in-law of Wahida, told The Daily Star late last month that after Wahida had been killed, police requested locals to stay alert.
Law enforcers asked all not to let unknown people in their homes, he said, adding that they had already strengthened security at their home.
Ziaul, however, expressed his concern as the killer was still at large.
“There is no guarantee whether the killer will not strike again,” he said.
Investigators said the suspect went around looking for flats to rent. He did not call the numbers beneath the “To-let” signs. He never even made off with any valuables.
The Detective Branch of police and the Rapid Action Battalion are also conducting shadow investigations.
Rab's Intelligence Wing Director Lt Col Abul Kalam Azad told The Daily Star last month that they were looking for the man that matches the sketch.
Bishnu Chowdhury, owner of a house in Azampur, said he was worried as the killer was not arrested yet. He expressed disappointment over police not being able to identify the suspect.
In 2009, a serial killer named Rasu Khan of Chandpur was arrested after he had killed 11 women in Tongi and Savar areas. He was sentenced to death last year in one of the 10 cases filed against him. His appeal against the judgment is pending with the Supreme Court.
Another serial killer Momin alias Babu Mandol alias Pichchi Babu was arrested in Uttar Khan in the capital in 2014. He is accused of killing at least seven women.
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