Robbers kill woman at Chittagong flat

22 March 2009, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Ctg

Criminals strangled an elderly woman and injured her husband before looting valuables from their rented flat in the port city yesterday morning. The victims are Nasima Shahida, 60, and her husband Nazrul Islam, a retired divisional engineer of Bangladesh Railway. Two persons pressed the calling bell to enter the flat on the third floor of a four-storied building at Chashma Hill Residential Area in Panchlaish at around 9:30am, police quoted witnesses as saying. Getting the door open after a while, neighbours entered the house and found Nazrul and his wife lying senseless. Nasima's hands and legs were found tied with ropes. Both were rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital where on-duty doctors declared Nasima dead. The criminals looted valuables including gold ornaments breaking the wooden cupboard before fleeing the scene. The couple lived at the house while their only son stays in Dhaka, said Sub Inspector Shawkat of Panchlaish Police Station. Shawkat said a former caretaker of the house might be involved in the murder as locals reportedly saw him near the building yesterday morning.