Local Jamaat leader dies following late-night burglary at his home in Dhaka

Anwar Ullah, 65, a homoeopathic doctor and deputy organisational ward vice-president of Jamaat-e-Islami's West Rajabazar unit, died following a burglary at his residence in Dhaka's West Rajabazar in the early hours of today (13 January), police said.

The incident occurred on the second floor of his home at 58/1, adjacent to West Rajabazar Mosque under Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.

Anwar lived with his wife, Nasima Akhter. He ran a homoeopathic clinic in an alley behind Square Hospital. One son resides in Portugal and a daughter in Finland, while another daughter Rehana and her husband live on the floor above.

Anwar's cousin Maksudur Rahman told The Business Standard that CCTV footage showed two masked intruders wearing balaclavas cutting the balcony grill at 2:38am to enter the flat. "They bound the hands and feet of Anwar and his wife, gagged them, assaulted him, and stole Tk5,00,000 and 8 bhori of gold before fleeing at 5:08am."

"Both Anwar and his wife lost consciousness. When she regained awareness, she contacted their daughter Rehana, and son-in-law upstairs, who rushed him to Square Hospital, where he was declared dead," he added.

Rehana described the attack as deliberate. "My father always stood against injustice and was involved in politics. If this had been a simple theft, they could have taken the money and left. Why did they kill him?" she said.

Police, however, suspect he may have died from suffocation caused by gagging or a heart attack triggered by fear.

Azizur Rahman, investigation officer of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, said no marks of assault were visible and the exact cause of death will be confirmed after autopsy.

Following the autopsy, his body was returned to the family home in West Rajabazar.

After funeral prayers, it will be taken to his ancestral village in Lokkhanpur, Monohorgonj, Cumilla, for burial.