Saudi expatriate murder: Alleged lover's friend confesses to role in killing

The friend of the alleged extramarital partner of murdered Saudi expatriate Mokarram has given a confessional statement before a Dhaka court over the gruesome killing in the capital's Manda area.

The accused, Helena Begum, friend of Taslima Begum alias Hasna, confessed before the court today (19 May), while her teenage daughter Halima Akter was sent to a juvenile development centre in Gazipur's Konabari.

Investigation officer and Mugda Police Station Sub-Inspector Enamul Haque Mithu produced the two before the court and sought to record Helena's statement, saying she had agreed voluntarily to confess.

Following the plea, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Kamal Uddin recorded her statement and later sent her to jail.

Separately, Judge Md Moniruzzaman of the Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-5 ordered that Halima be sent to the juvenile development centre.

Sub-Inspector Marufuzzaman of the prosecution division confirmed the developments.

The victim, 38-year-old Mokarram Mia, hailed from Talshahar of Ashuganj upazila in Brahmanbaria district. His identity was confirmed after police recovered dismembered body parts from Manda on 17 May.

At a press briefing held at the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) headquarters on 18 May, the force revealed details of the murder.

According to RAB, Mokarram developed a relationship with Taslima, who was the wife of his acquaintance during his stay abroad. Over time, the relationship turned into an alleged affair, and he reportedly sent her more than Tk5 lakh while working in Saudi Arabia.

The incident took place after Mokarram returned to Bangladesh on 13 May without informing his family and visited Helena's rented house in Mugda to meet Taslima.

RAB said tensions escalated that night over a proposed marriage, repayment of money, and threats involving private photos and videos.

Officials said the victim allegedly demanded repayment of the money he had sent and threatened to circulate compromising material on social media, further escalating the dispute.

RAB also alleged that Mokarram attempted inappropriate conduct involving Helena's minor daughter during the night, which intensified the conflict among the accused.

On the following morning, the accused allegedly sedated him by mixing sleeping pills in his breakfast and later strangled him with a pillow. When he resisted, he was attacked with sharp weapons and a hammer, leading to his death.

RAB said the body was then dismembered into eight parts in a bathroom, with seven parts dumped in a plastic sack near the house and the head disposed of about one kilometre away. The head was later recovered based on information provided by the arrestees.

After the killing, the accused allegedly cleaned the scene, went out for food and shopping, and even hosted a small gathering at the house, RAB added.

They left the residence on 16 May, while foul smell from the discarded body parts later led locals to alert police. The body was recovered and sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue, where identity was confirmed through fingerprint analysis.

Police arrested Helena and her daughter on the night of 17 May and later recovered the victim's head.

Following the incident, Mokarram's uncle Rafiqul Islam filed a murder case with Mugda Police Station yesterday.