The body of Rahanuma Sarah, newsroom editor of private Gazi TV, was recovered from Hatirjheel Lake of Dhaka early Wednesday, said police.
Md Saiful Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Hatirjheel Police Station, confirmed the matter to UNB saying that a restaurant employee named Md Sagor spotted the body of a woman floating in the lake and took her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where doctors declared her dead upon arrival around 1:45am.
The 32-year-old Rahanuma, daughter of Bakhtiar Shikhdar of Noakhali’s Sonaimuri upazila and younger of two sisters, had been living with her husband Sayed Shuvro in a rented house in Dhaka’s Kalyanpur area.
Replying to a question, the police official said whether it is suicide or murder will be known only after getting the autopsy report.
DMCH’s police outpost in-charge Md Bchhu Mia said the body was sent to the hospital morgue for autopsy.
Husband Shuvro told the media at DMCH that they got married seven years back through a relationship without informing the families.
On Tuesday night, Rahanuma went to office and did not return home at night but sent the house rent money through a person at around 10:30pm.
“Later I called her and said that if you don’t come home at night, why did you send money to someone else. Then she replied that I am busy and hang up the phone. Later, at around 3am, we got the news that she had jumped into the water of Hatirjheel Lake,” he said.
Later, he came at the DMCH and found her body here, he added.
"We haven't had a quarrel, but my wife has been seeking a separation for quite some time,” he said, adding that they both went to a local kazi office for divorce. In this situation, it was impossible to go to the kazi office,” the husband said.
However, late Tuesday around 12am, Rahnuma uploaded a post on her Facebook account saying in Bengali, "It is better to die than being dead while living."
Soon after she posted another status tagging one named Fahim Faisal and sharing a few pictures wrote: "Good to have a friend like you. God bless you. I hope all your dreams will be fulfilled soon. We had a lot of plans. Sorry, I can't fulfill the plans. May God bless you in every aspect of your life.”
