Satkhira man sentenced to death for killing wife, daughter

Case details say the murders took place in 2015

A court in Satkhira today sentenced Abdur Rouf Sardar to death and fined him Tk 50,000 for killing his wife and infant daughter over dowry demands and family disputes.

Judge Md Zakaria Hossain of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal in Satkhira pronounced the verdict, Public Prosecutor Sheikh Alamgir Ashraf said.

Abdur Rouf is the son of Abdullah Sardar of Ghona village in Kaliganj upazila of Satkhira. The case was filed by his mother-in-law, Jahanara Khatun, according to case documents.

According to the prosecution, Jahanara's daughter, Sabina Islam, 26, married Abdur Rouf about three and a half years before the incident. The couple had a daughter, Ayesha Siddika.

The case statement alleged that disputes arose between the couple over dowry demands and other family issues. Abdur Rouf allegedly pressured Sabina's family to pay Tk 50,000 for his mother's medical treatment and provide money to buy a motorcycle.

Following the dispute, Sabina left her husband's home and returned to her parents' house with their daughter.

Abdur Rouf subsequently began visiting his in-laws' house in the evenings and leaving the following morning.

On September 7, 2015, he arrived at his in-laws' house and went to sleep without eating after an argument with Sabina.

Around midnight on September 8, while the family members were asleep, Jahanara woke up after hearing the sound of a bicycle. She went into an adjoining room and found her daughter and granddaughter lying lifeless, the case statement said, adding that Abdur Rouf had fled by then.

Jahanara later filed a case against him. Following an investigation, the case proceeded to trial.

During the trial, 12 witnesses, including a physician, the investigation officer and a magistrate, testified before the court. The case records also included a confessional statement made by the accused under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

According to the case records, Abdur Rouf went into hiding after securing bail on July 30, 2020, and is now absconding.