Police have handed over a minor girl to her relatives several days after she witnessed a gruesome murder of her step-mother by his father in Cox’s Bazar’s Moheshkhali.
Jerin Mehjabin Zara, 4, the lone witness of the housewife Afroza killing, was given to the custody of her uncle Masud Hasan Ehesan on October 19, officer-in-charge of Maheshkhali Police Station.
The girl was handed over to her relatives in presence of local Kalarmarchhara union parishad member Liaquat Ali, local journalist Ochman Jahangir and Chowkidar Nazem Uddin Naju.
According to OC Hai, Zara’s meeting her uncle’s family took place three days after police recovered body of her step-mother from yard at their home in Uttar Nolbill village.
Afroza, daughter of Ichhak from Puichara village of the upazila, was married to Rakib, son of Hasan Bashir from Uttar Nolbila, nine months ago. He, however, has a daughter, Zara, from his previous marriage.
According to Afroza’s bother Mizan, the couple had had family feud and Rakib, who is a lecturer at Badarkhali Degree College, tortured his second wife frequently.
Locals said they noticed that Rakib had beaten Afroza indiscriminately on October 11 for last time On October 12, the couple went missing with Zara being sent to his grandmother by his father.
Police, later, interviewed Zara and recovered the body of Afroza on October 17.