Mograhat/Kolkata: The dismembered body of a woman, whose severed head was found in a garbage heap on Friday, has been recovered by Kolkata Police in the Golf Green murder case. The remaining body parts were found in a bush behind a house in Regent Colony, Kolkata.
According to sources at Lalbazar, the victim’s body had been gruesomely cut into three parts--head, torso and legs--her severed head was first found on Grahams Road in Tollygunge, while the rest of her remains were later located in Regent Colony.
Deputy Commissioner of Kolkata Police (SSD) Bidisha Kalita disclosed that the accused, Atiqur Rahman, harboured unreciprocated feelings for the victim, who was his sister-in-law. On December 12, after she rejected his advances while returning home from work, he killed her in a fit of rage.
"The accused, who worked as a painter, murdered the woman, dismembered her body, and discarded the remains in a sack. He will be produced in court tomorrow where we will seek custody to further the investigation," Kalita said during a press briefing. The murder weapon, a sharp implement used to dismember the body, is yet to be recovered. Police plan to take Atiqur Rahman to the crime scene for reconstruction.
The accused was arrested on Friday night in Panchagram, under Diamond Harbour police station. Initial interrogation revealed that Atiqur murdered the victim out of anger and later dismembered her body to ensure death. He then disposed of the severed head in a garbage heap in Golf Green and discarded the remaining body parts in Regent Colony.
The victim, identified as 36-year-old Khateja Bibi from Pailan Para, Mograhat, had come to Kolkata to work as a maid and support her family. Estranged from her husband for years, Khateja was raising her two children while living at her father’s house. Her brother-in-law Atiqur Rahman had helped her secure the job.
On the day of the incident, Khateja went to work as usual but never returned home. Concerned family members repeatedly tried to contact her, but her phone was switched off. When they informed Atiqur Rahman about her disappearance, he claimed to join the search. However, by Friday night, police informed the family that a severed head had been recovered, and Khateja’s relatives identified her from photographs provided by the police.
Further investigation revealed that Khateja may have been trying to end an extramarital affair with Atiqur Rahman, which had developed several years ago. Family pressure had reportedly prompted her to distance herself from the relationship over the past three months, leading to Atiqur’s alleged rage-fuelled crime.
Shamim Pailan, a family member, said, "Khateja worked hard as a maid to support her family. On Thursday, she left for work and never came back. On Friday, we learned of her tragic death. We demand that the police ensure all those involved in this heinous crime are arrested and given the strictest punishment." The police investigation continues, with efforts to recover the murder weapon and gather further evidence.
