College girl found dead in Gulshan, Bashundhara Group MD Anvir sued for ‘abetment of suicide’

Police recovered the hanging body of a 21-year old girl from a flat in Gulshan area in the capital on Monday night.

The deceased was identified as Mosarat Jahan Munia, daughter of late Shafiqur Rahman, hailing from Cumilla. She was a second-year student at a college in the capital, according to police. 

A case has been filed accusing Bashundhara Group Managing Director Sayem Sobhan Anvir of abetment of the suicide, said Gulshan police.

The case was filed by a sister of the victim with Gulshan Police Station under section 306 of the Penal Code, according to the case statement.

"On information, a team of police recovered the hanging body from the flat and later sent it to Dhaka Medical College morgue for autopsy," Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Gulshan division) Sudip Kumar Chakraborty said in a briefing to reporters last night.

"The victim rented the flat at Tk1 lakh and Tk11,000 was paid as service charge a month since March. She used to live there alone," said the police official.

He further said, "Munia informed her elder sister on Sunday that she was in trouble. Hearing this, her sister Nusrat came to Dhaka from Cumilla on Monday and rushed to her sibling's flat in the evening."

"Nusrat knocked at the door but there was no response from inside. She also found her sister's phone not reachable from a while ago. Later, she entered the flat breaking lock and found her sister hanging from a ceiling fan," said the police official.

"After getting an autopsy report, we will be able to know the reason behind her death," said Sudip Kumar Chakraborty.

"We will take steps after proper investigation," he said adding, "CCTV footage has been collected. We are analysing footage."

The victim's sister alleged to police saying her sister had a relationship with Anvir and Munia had a dispute with him following sharing of a photo of an iftar party on social media recently.

When contacted, two phone numbers of Sayem Sobhan Anvir were found switched off. 

The Business Standard correspondent also called on his home phone, Bashundhara Group's Media Advisor Abu Tayeb and Anvir's personal secretary Maksud, but no one picked up the phone today morning.

According to section 306 of the Penal Code, if any person is accused of abetment of suicide, he or she shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.