Family Reclaims Mentally Ill Woman After Daughter Killed by Crocodile at Bagerhat Shrine
Photo Collected
A mentally ill woman who had been missing for three and a half years has been reunited with her family in Bagerhat, days after her young daughter was killed in a tragic incident at a local shrine. Fozila Khatun, a resident of Char Harichand village in Mymensingh, was located at the shrine of Hazrat Khan Jahan (RA) after media reports of her daughter’s death led her relatives to identify them.
Fozila and her youngest daughter, Fatema, had been living as transients near the shrine’s pond for over a year. Their identity remained unknown to locals until Monday night, when a crocodile inhabiting the pond dragged the child into the water. Fatema’s body was recovered the following morning and buried near the site, a tragedy that prompted authorities to relocate the crocodile from the pond on Wednesday.
The news of the child’s death, broadcast by various media outlets, reached the family in Mymensingh. Fozila’s brother, Harez Ali, said that his sister had struggled with her mental health for years before disappearing during a storm more than three years ago. The family, having long abandoned hope of finding them, traveled to Bagerhat immediately upon seeing footage of the incident.
Upon arriving at the shrine on Thursday morning, the family found Fozila resting near a building. Despite the trauma of losing her child, she recognized her mother, siblings, and son, Bazlur Rahman. Relatives described a harrowing reunion, noting that Fozila recounted the attack and expressed deep grief over the loss of her daughter.
Local officials, including the Bagerhat Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and representatives from social services and police, facilitated the reunion. Following an extensive verification process—which included reviewing Fozila’s national identification card, Fatema’s vaccination records, and testimonies from local government representatives in Mymensingh—the administration officially released Fozila into the custody of her brother.
The family, led by Fozila’s mother, Hazera Khatun, has since begun the journey back to Mymensingh. Fozila, the eldest of six siblings, returns home under the care of her relatives, leaving behind the site of a tragedy that ultimately ended their years-long search.
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