Maldivian cops start digging

Two Maldivian police officials, who arrived in Rajshahi on Monday for assisting Detective Branch of police in probing the death of Raudha Athif, a medical student and a model from that country, talked to her family members and visited the site of her death yesterday afternoon.

Chief Superintendent Mohamed Riyaz and Chief Inspector Ahamed Ali of the Maldives police also talked to the detectives probing Raudha's death, the authorities of Islami Bank Medical College and some students of the college.

They did not, however, make any comment. “We will talk to the local police about our visit,” said Mohamed Riyaz when a group of reporters approached him.

Contacted, Raudha's mother Aminath Muharrimath said the police officials spoke to the family members on Monday night. “We told them that we found several grounds that suggest she was murdered.”

“Local authorities are claiming it was a suicide, but they did not provide us with the autopsy report. In fact, we are waiting for it,” she said.

She said local police told her that the report will take time as the viscera were sent to Dhaka for tests, although the medical board provided the police with a preliminary report.

Abdul Aziz Riad, secretary of the medical college, said the police officials stayed at the college for three hours since 1:00pm.

They had talks with four Maldivian students including one male student separately.

They also spoke to two Indian female students who first saw Raudha hanging from the ceiling fan. The officials talked to the vice principal of the college, two professors and in-charge of the women's hostel.

Quoting the officials, Riad said, they are to stay in Rajshahi until they get sufficient information for preparing a report to submit it to their government.

Al-Amin Hossain, an assistant commissioner of the Detective Branch, said the Maldivian officials visited their office in the morning. “They wanted to know whether the death was a suicide or homicide and the possible reasons behind her death.”

“We are still continuing our investigation,” he said.