Former Jamaat-e-Islami member jailed over contract killing of ex-wife in Lakshmipur
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A former member of Jamaat-e-Islami in Lakshmipur has been remanded to custody following his surrender to a local court in connection with the murder of his ex-wife, Saleha Begum. Abu Bakkar Siddique, once a prominent figure within the party’s ranks in the Char Kalkini union of Kamalnagar, was ordered to prison by Judge Sadekur Rahman of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on Monday after his bail application was denied.
The case dates back to June 15, 2023, when Saleha Begum was found dead near the banks of the Meghna River in Kamalnagar. Her daughter, Fatema Begum, initially filed a case against unknown perpetrators. Investigations gained momentum in July 2023 following the arrest of a hired assailant, identified as Md. Salim, who subsequently confessed to the murder and provided a detailed account of the conspiracy in court.
According to police findings reported by the local press, the motive for the killing was rooted in a financial dispute. Siddique had reportedly married the widow Saleha Begum in secret while maintaining a separate family, a fact he kept hidden from his relatives. Investigators revealed that Siddique had obtained 30 lakh taka from Saleha under the guise of purchasing land. When the land purchase failed to materialize and Saleha began pressing for the return of her funds, Siddique chose to resolve the conflict by arranging her murder.
Court documents indicate that Siddique paid Salim 50,000 taka to carry out the contract killing. On the day of the incident, Salim lured Saleha to a secluded location where he assaulted and strangled her. Following the homicide, Salim fled with the victim’s gold jewelry, which he later sold in Savar.
While the police filed a formal chargesheet against the suspects on November 28, 2023, Siddique had successfully evaded arrest for months. Despite his previous affiliation with Jamaat-e-Islami, district secretary A.R. Hafiz Ullah stated that Siddique no longer holds any official position within the party, characterizing the allegations of his involvement in the murder as deeply regrettable. Investigation officer Md. Kamrul Hasan noted that the case stands as a calculated effort to eliminate a domestic witness to financial fraud.
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