'Missing' Khulna woman was staying in Faridpur since 17 September, say police

Police have found Rahima Begum, 55, the Khulna woman, who had been said to be missing by her family and presumed dead, alive from Faridpur's Boalmari upazila after 28 days. According to police, she had been staying since 17 September. 

"Police found her in a house in Sayedpur village of Boalmari upazila in Fardipur around 10:30pm on Saturday. She was brought to Daulatpur police station at 2:10am. She was kept at Sonadanga Victim Support Centre," Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) Deputy Commissioner (North) Molla Jahangir Hossain said during a press briefing on Sunday (25 September).

A team of KMP conducted a drive at the house of Quddus Molla in Syedpur village of Faridpur's Boalmari Upazila based on the intelligence team's information and found Rahima safe on Saturday night. Police also detained three people, including two women, from the house for questioning. Relatives of Quddus told police that Rahima had been staying in the house since 17 September.

Rahima is not answering to any of the questions of police and remained "speechless" since she was brought under police custody, said Molla Jahangir, reports UNB.

Rahima Begum had been missing from Uttar Banikpara in Khulna since 27 August last month, said her daughter Mariam Mannan. She later claimed that her mother had been kidnapped. They alleged that their mother was kidnapped because of a land dispute she had with some locals.  However, police said that Rahima went into hiding herself. 

Her family members filed a general diary at Daulatpur Police Station. Later, one of Rahima Begum's daughters, Adri Akhter, 22, filed a case with the police facility accusing some people. Police have arrested six people in the case so far. All of them were arrested between 6-10 August.

Mariam and her brothers and sisters went to meet their mother Sunday morning. However, Rahima did not respond to them.

In this regard, Rahima's son Sadi said, "Since my mother was rescued alive, she herself will say about the disappearance. If someone from my family is found involved in the incident, the administration will take action."

On September 14, a court ordered to transfer the case to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). The PBI then accepted the documents on 17 September, following due process. PBI Inspector Abdul Mannan was given the charge to investigate the case.

On Friday (23 September), three daughters of Rahima Begum, including Mariam, claimed that the body of a woman which was recovered 12 days ago in Mymensingh was their mother's.

"My mother has been missing for 27 days. We are constantly looking for our mother. In the meantime, we have come here after receiving the news of the recovery of the body of an unidentified woman at Phulpur police station on 10 September. Apart from salwar-kameez, the forehead and hands in the picture seemed to be my mother," Mariam said. 

However, Mariam was informed by the police that it is not possible to confirm the identity of the body without a DNA test.

"Mariam's mother is 55 years old. The decomposing body we recovered appears to be approximately 28 to 32 years old. Considering these aspects, the body cannot be confirmed as her mother's," Phulpur Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Abdul Motaleb Chowdhury said on Friday.

Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) will further investigate the matter.