The body of a newlywed woman was recovered from her residence in Pallabi area of Dhaka on Sunday (March 03, 2024) evening. The deceased was identified as Mahfuza Motaleb, wife of Aminul Islam. Pallabi police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Apurbo Hasan said Aminul and Mahfuza got married around three months back. Read more: Father, son found dead in Dhaka’s Badda Quoting Mahfuza’s family, the OC said Aminul used to torture Mahfuza demanding dowry since their marriage as his mother-in-law has an FDR of Tk 7 lakh. On Sunday evening, Aminul phoned Mahfuza’ family asking to come to his residence as she fell sick. When they reached their home they found her dead. On information, a police team recovered the body from the house and sent to Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy, the police officer said. Police, however, arrested the husband in this connection and Mahfuza’s family filed a case. Read more: Mother, daughter hacked to death in Gopalganj

A Cumilla court on Tuesday sentenced a man to death for killing his wife in 2009 for dowry. Cumilla Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun gave the judgment. The court also fined the convict  Tk 10,000, in default, to suffer  two months more rigorous imprisonment. The court also acquitted three people from the charges during the hearing, said Special Public Prosecutor Pradip Kumar Datta. Read more: Kishoreganj: 3 to die for killing housewife for dowry . According to case complaint, convict Abdul Kader,  of Komar Doga village in Chauddagram upazila,  used to torture her wife Jharna for dowry. As her family couldn’t give him remaining Tk 30,000 of his demanded Tk 50,000 as dowry Kader planned to kill Jharna. On June 24, 2009, Jharna’s body was recovered from a pond in the village. Jharna’s sister Khaleda filed a case against seven people including Kader under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. Read more: Man to die for killing wife in Pabna for dowry In 2015, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted a charge sheet against four people- Abdul Kader, Monwara Begum, Najma Akter and Abdus Sattar in this case.

A Kishoreganj court Thursday sentenced three people to death for killing a woman for dowry. Judge Mohammad Habibullah of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal of the district gave the order. The death row convicts are the woman's husband Khokon Mia, 37, his sister Jarina Khatun, 39, and cousin Jalal Mia, 43. The court also fined Khokon, Jarina and Jalil Tk50,000, Tk20,000 and Tk30,000, respectively. Special Public Prosecutor MA Afzal argued for the state during the hearing. Advocate Ataur Rahman Akanda and Shyamal Kumar Sarkar represented the defendants. Read|: Three to die for raping girl in Feni On October 4, 2015, Hena Akter was strangled to death by the convicts for not fulfilling their demand for dowry, according to the case complaint. The case was filed at Karimganj Police Station upon receiving a complaint from Hena's brother Saiful Islam. Following investigation, police framed charges against six people but the court cleared the other three accused of the charges.

A tribunal in Pabna on Tuesday sentenced a man to death for killing his wife over dowry in Sadar upazila of the district. The convict is Md Abdullah alias Okat of the district. Pabna Woman and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Mizanur Rahman delivered the judgment. The tribunal also fined him Tk 1 lakh. Read: Man to die for killing wife for dowry Besides, the tribunal acquitted three other accused from the case.  According to the prosecution, Abdullah used to torture his wife Rumana Parvin for dowry since their marriage in 2013. When Rumana denied bringing the dowry money, the convict shot dead Ruman on October 30 in 2014. Later, a case was filed against four people including the husband at Pabna Sadar police station. Police submitted a chargesheet against the four in March 10 in 2015.

A fugitive convict who was sentenced to death in a case filed for burning his wife to death by pouring petrol on her body in Singair upazila of Manikganj, was detained by the members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) from Bangshal area of the capital.The convict was identified as Md Alam,40, of Atipara village of Singair. Read: DMCH interns suspend strikeThe elite force RAB detained Tota from the capital on Saturday night, twenty-one years after the murder of his wife Ambia in 2001.Acting on a tip-off, a team of Rab-4 arrested Alam from a shoe factory in Dhaka's Bangshal area Saturday night, according to the media statement of Rab-4.On September 5, 2001, Alam poured petrol on his wife Ambia Begum and set her on fire at Atipara village in Singair for not getting a dowry.Ambia died while undergoing treatment at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital the following day. Read: Fugitive convict held in cityOn September 7, the victim's father, M Maqbul Hossain, lodged a complaint with Singair Police accusing five.Later, Police registered an FIR in this connection.On November 30, 2003, a judge of Manikganj Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal sentenced Alam to death in the murder case.

A Dhaka tribunal on Sunday sentenced a man to death for killing his wife over dowry in Demra of the capital 17 years ago. The condemned convict was identified as Amin alias Fakir Amin, son of Fakir Chan of Gopibagh in Demra. Dhaka Woman and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge AM Zulficker Hayat handed down the punishment. The Tribunal also fined him Tk 50,000. According to the prosecution, Amin had got married to Shabana in 1993. The couple have been blessed with two children. Amin used to torture mentally and physically Shabana for dowry since their marriage and to make them happy, Shabana’s parents provide Tk 3 lakh to Amin. Read: 2 to die, 2 get life term jail for killing businessperson in Ctg Later, he demanded Tk one lakh from Shabana’s parents but failed to bear the inhuman torture she brought Tk 20,000 from her parents and gave it to Amin. Amin then asked Shabana to provide the rest 80,000 after Eid. When Shabana denied bringing the money, Amin poured kerosene on Shabana and set her on fire on November 11, 2005. Later, she was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. Shabana’s sister Yeasmin lodged a complaint with Demra Police Station. Police submitted chargesheet against Amin on March 12, 2006.  

A Khulna Court has sent a lecturer of Khulna University to jail denying him bail in a case that accused him of torturing his wife for dowry. The accused is Sadhan Chandra Swarnakar, a lecturer of the Department of Environmental Sciences of the university. Read: Policeman held after alleged torture of wife for dowry Khulna Metropolitan Magistrate Judge Md Tariqul Islam handed the order turning down the bail petition on Thursday. On January 31, Puja Swarnakar, the accused’s wife, filed a case in the court of Khulna Metropolitan Magistrate Md Tariqul Islam alleging that her husband  tortured her for dowry. The plaintiff’s counsel Lawyer Abu Huraira Sohel said Sadhan started torturing Puja since their marriage in 2020 demanding dowry. Read: Man arrested for chopping wife’s wrist in Narayanganj for dowry In the latest incident on January 7, Sadhan allegedly tortured Puja and threw her out of the house. Later, Puja’s family members admitted her to Khulna General Hospital after noticing injury marks on her body. Later, the court summoned Sadhan for appearing before the court on Thursday.

A police inspector has been arrested in the city after his wife lodged a case accusing him of torturing her for dowry money. The arrestee is Mohammad Shamsuddoha, 40, inspector of Darshana police station in Chuadanga district. Gulshan police arrested him from Rajabazar area of Dhaka early hours of Thursday. He was later sent to Faridpur’s Kotwali Police Station. Officer-in-charge of Faridpur Kotwali Police Station MA Jalil said Shamsuddoha has been arrested from Dhaka’s Rajabazar in a case filed by his wife Farzana Khandaker Tuli for torturing her for dowry money. Farzana said that Shamsuddoha asked Tk 70 lakh from her family. She managed to give him Tk 15 lakh from her family but he kept torturing him for more money. So, she went to her father’s home. READ: Man arrested for chopping wife’s wrist in Narayanganj for dowry  She said that her husband warned her not to return without the money. She also found that Shamsuddoha has an extramarital affair. READ: Housewife tortured to death over dowry in Sylhet

A Satkhira court on Sunday sentenced a man to death for killing his wife over dowry in 2010. Satkhira Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge MD Azam handed down the verdict to Kartik Kumar Ghosh, 40. Rajendrapur in Tala upazila of the district. Also read: 9 to die, 22 get life term for killing BCL leader in Rajshahi The court also acquitted five others as allegations brought against them could not be proved. According to the prosecution, Kartik beat his wife Shipra Ghosh for dowry on May 13, 2010. Namita Ghosh, mother of Shipra later filed a murder case with Patkelghata Police Station against Kartik and five others. Also read: 20 to die for killing Buet student Abrar After investigation police charged the six with the murder.

A 17-year-old pregnant mother, who set herself on fire pouring kerosene over her body on October 8 in an attempt to kill herself, finally succumbed to her burn injuries on Thursday, after giving birth to a still baby. Suraiya Newaz Labanya, daughter of Ariful Islam of Rahimpur village in Netrakona, breathed her last around 7:40pm at Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), said Partha Sankar Paul, a resident doctor of the hospital. Earlier at 7am, she gave birth to a lifeless girl child, he said. Harassed for dowry by her husband and in-laws, Suraiya set fire to her body on October 8 pouring kerosene in the kitchen at her father’s house. Also read: Dowry culture still thrives in Bangladesh; Ctg woman the latest victim Dr Ayub Hossain, another resident doctor of the institute, said Suraiya was six months’ pregnant and admitted to the hospital with 90 percent burn injuries. “Her child died in her womb before birth when she got her body burned,” Dr Hossain said. Suraiya’s father, Ariful, said he married his daughter off with Shahin Alam, a private car driver from Dhobaura upazila in Mymensingh, after their long relationship on October 2 last year. Since then, Suraiya had been staying with her in-laws in Mymensingh. After a few days, Ariful said, they started torturing her mentally and physically for dowry. They demanded Tk 2 lakh for Shahin as dowry to start a business. Suraiya, meanwhile, got pregnant but that did not prevent her husband and in-laws from torturing her.  She was even denied her regular meals. On August 1 last, Ariful visited her in-laws’ house in Mymensingh and found her daughter very sick. Deeply worried, Ariful brought her beloved daughter back to Netrakona. But Suraiya’s husband, Shahin, is not a man to spare her so easily. Shahin then started calling her over phone regularly and used to abuse her verbally. Having failed to endure the torture, Suraiya set fire to her body pouring kerosene in the kitchen of her father’s house on October 8. Also read: Woman ‘kills self’ to escape ‘torture for dowry’ in Magura Hearing her screams, Suraiya’s grandmother, Sadia Khatun, came forward and rescued her with the help of locals. She was then taken to Mymensingh Sadar Hospital. She was transferred to Sheikh Hasina Plastic and Burn Institute the following day as her condition turned critical. Suraiya’s father said he did not inform the police yet but blamed Shahin and his family members for her daughter’s death. He, however, said he will file a case against Suraiya’s in-laws soon. Meanwhile, the dead child was buried at Azimpur graveyard Friday morning. Suraiya’s body was sent for an autopsy, said Bachchu Mia, in-charge of the police outpost at the DMCH. Dowry culture in Bangladesh Dowry culture that arises from the pervasive greed still thrives in Bangladesh. Around 50 percent of the violence against women in the country are reported due to the dowry culture, according to a study. Odhikar, a human rights body, says as many as 5,699 women faced dowry-related violence from 2001 to 2017 and the rate of homicides and suicides owing to dowry incidents has been high too. To replace the 1980 law, the government enacted Dowry Prohibition Act-2017, but the number of cases filed is still low compared to the number of violent incidents. Though the country achieved significant development in women education and empowerment, the dowry violence is far from dying down, data suggests. The modern feature of dowry is to provide large sums of money, jewellery, and other goods from the bride's family to the groom's one as Bangladesh is fighting a losing battle against the menace despite having a law.