A housewife was stabbed to death allegedly by her husband in the city’s Shanirakhra area early Saturday.

The husband has been absconding since the incident occurred at around 3:45 am on Saturday.

The victim was identified as Rupa Akhter, 30, wife of Abdul Jaher. She was residing with her family at a rented house at Gubindapur of Shanirakhra under Jatrabari police station.

Sub-inspector of Jatrabari police station SI Mahmuda Rahman said the husband Md. Abdul Jaher , a labourer, allegedly stabbed his wife Rupa in the left side of the chest with a sharp knife at one stage of a quarrel. She died on the spot due to excessive bleeding from the stabbing. Abdul Jaher fled the scene soon after the incident, SI Mahmuda said.

Being informed, her body was recovered from the spot and sent to Dhaka Medical College Morgue for autopsy on Saturday afternoon, she said.

Rubel Mia, younger brother of the deceased, alleged that his brother-in-law Jaher used to beat his sister regularly and her sister came to Rubel’s house for shelter after one such incident several months ago. Later, she was sent back to her husband’s rented house, he said.

Rubel said his sister wanted to stay at her father-in-law's village home in Laxmipur but her husband did not want to stay there. Rupa had quit her job at a garment factory a month and a half ago and it created constant quarrels between the husband and the wife.

"This (Saturday) morning, my nephew Rifat (8) called me and said that he was asleep early in the morning. Suddenly he (Rifat) woke up from sleep hearing her mother's screaming due to stab injury," Rubel said.

After receiving the news, he went to his sister's house and found her dead, he added.