Prime accused of Dhanmondi double murders confesses to police

Surovi, the domestic help and prime accused in the Dhanmondi double-murder case, confessed to police after three days of murder that she killed Afroza Begum and house help Diti on Friday last.

According to police sources, Surovi was known to a betel leaf vendor who requested the bodyguard of Afroza's son-in-law Atiqul Huq Bacchu to arrange her a job of domestic help.

About it, Bacchu talked to Afroza who confirmed Surovi's job and Bacchu asked her to come to work on Friday.

On Friday afternoon, Bacchu received Surovi on the gate and took her to the fourth floor of the building as Afroza was in her daughter Dilruba's flat at the time. Then Afroza, Diti and Bacchu took her to the third floor.

Afroza showed Surovi the bedrooms in the flat and told her to start working from that night. She appointed her with the condition to stay in the flat during night times. Surovi washed some clothes on the first day. She also had lunch there.

Surovi told police she wanted to go out after finishing her work. But Afroza Begum did not allow her.

She told her that she would be able to go out once Bacchu came back. At one stage, Diti locked the front gate so that Surovi could not leave.

Surovi got afraid as she thought she might be forced to get involved in immoral activities. She murdered both Afroza and Diti and escaped the flat.

Surovi first went to the Agargaon slum. Then she went to a hide in one of her relatives' house in Mirpur. She was arrested by the police when she returned to the Agargaon slum on Sunday.

During the interrogation, Afroza told police she used to work at a garments factory. She left the job due to mental pressure.

Abdullahil Kafi, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Dhanmondi zone), said Surovi confessed her involvement in the murder. The case has been transferred to the Detective Branch (DB).

But, none of the DB police officials gave a formal statement as the investigation was still going on. One of the senior officials, not willing to disclose his name, said, "We are still interrogating Surovi and verifying the information we got from her."

Creative Group's deputy managing director Afroza Begum, 65, and her domestic help Diti, 17, were found slit-throat in a flat in Dhanmondi on Friday.

Police arrested Surovi from the capital's Agargaon area and handed her over to Dhanmondi police. After primary interrogation, Dhanmondi police transferred her to the DB where she was interrogated again.

Police also arrested Afroza Begum's son-in-law's bodyguard Bachchu Mia, caretaker Belal, some Prince and security guard Nuruzzaman.

Dhanmondi police also obtained CCTV footages of the house for investigation.