A construction worker in Feni allegedly killed a woman to death and stole her gold earrings in May 12 in a desperate attempt to repay loan instalments, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has said.

The accused, Saiful Islam, 29, a resident of Chhoshna village under Sarishadi union in Feni Sadar upazila, was arrested from the Bayezid area of Chattogram city on Thursday following a technology-assisted operation by PBI.

Addressing a press briefing on Thursday night, PBI Feni Superintendent of Police Ukya Singh said Saiful confessed during primary interrogation that he had planned to rob his employer’s gold earrings to repay loan instalments after allegedly being humiliated by loan recovery officials at his home.

In the afternoon of May 12, victim Rina Akter, 40, wife of Saudi expatriate Md Manik Mia, visited their under-construction house in the Chhoshna area to inspect ongoing work.

Taking advantage of the situation, Saiful allegedly attacked her, stole the pair of gold earrings she was wearing, and killed her by strangulation, the PBI official said.

He then buried the body under a pile of sand inside one of the rooms of the under-construction building in an attempt to conceal the crime.

Investigators said the accused later fled the scene and sold the stolen earrings at a local gold shop in Mohammad Ali Bazar for Tk 15,000 before escaping to Chattogram.

Based on intelligence information and technological tracking, a PBI team later raided a residence in Bayezid and arrested him, officials said.

A murder case was filed with Feni Model Police Station by the victim’s eldest son against unidentified persons.