Police recovered the body of a woman from a river near Putimari Bazar of Khulna’s Batiyaghata five days after she went missing.

The deceased was identified as Fatima Begum, 37, of Khulna.

According to police, Fatima Begum had been missing since January 7 when she went to NGO employee Tahmina’s house to collect Tk 4,000 owned.

Fatima’s family filed a general diary with the police station following her missing.

Meanwhile, NGO worker Tahmina and her husband were called to Khulna sadar police station to inquire about the disappearance of Fatima. At the one stage of interrogation, they admitted to killing Fatima Begum and gave a confessional statement. Their statements were recorded by Metropolitan Magistrate Tariqul Islam on Thursday.

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Nimai Chandra Kundu, officer-in-charge of Khulna police station, said Tahmina, an employee of Nabolok NGO, took Tk 4,000 from the victim saying that she would get a loan of Tk 40,000 from the NGO. But she started an altercation with Fatima about the non-payment of the loan.  

On January 7, Fatima went to Tahmina’s house in Daroga Para in the town to get Tk 4,000 back. But Tahmina started an altercation with Fatima and at one stage she hit Fatima’s head with a brick, killing her on the spot. Later, Tahmina and her husband wrapped the body with a plastic bag and threw it in the Putimari River, he added.  

According to their confession, divers conducted a search drive into the river but her body was not found. Later, the locals saw the body floating and informed police and police recovered it.

Admitting their responsibility in the murder, the couple gave a statement under section 164 in the court. Later the court sent them to jail.

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