Mother and Daughter Killed in Khagrachhari Over Suspected Land Dispute, Police Say

The bodies of a mother and daughter, found with their throats slit, were taken to the morgue at Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital. Villagers gathered this morning, Friday, August 22, 2025, to collect the bodies. (Photo: Prothom Alo)

More than 24 hours after the recovery of the bodies from a house in Ramgarh, Khagrachhari, no case had been filed as of 10 a.m. Friday. Police suspect the murders stem from a family dispute over land. The victims, 95-year-old Amena Begum and her 42-year-old daughter Rahena Begum, were found with their throats slit in their bedroom in East Bagantila, Ward No. 7 of Ramgarh Municipality, on Thursday morning. Amena Begum was the wife of the late Mir Hossain from the area.

Mohammad Moin Uddin, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ramgarh Police Station, told Prothom Alo that the bodies are at the Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. A case will be filed after the bodies are handed over to the family. Amena Begum’s son, Abul Bashar, and grandson, Md. Saddam Hossain, are currently in police custody. The OC stated that there had been an ongoing land dispute within the family. Preliminary investigations suggest the mother and daughter were killed with a sharp weapon due to this conflict. However, police are also exploring other possible motives. Efforts are ongoing to identify and arrest those involved. According to police and local residents, Amena Begum had five sons and two daughters. Two sons are expatriates, one lives in Chhagalnaiya, Feni, and another in Dhaka for work. Abul Bashar, another son, lives separately in the area and is engaged in farming. Rahena Begum, one of Amena’s daughters, lived with her mother at her parental home, as her husband is an expatriate in Oman. Locals reported that the family had been embroiled in a land dispute for some time, with several village arbitration meetings held to resolve it. They, too, believe the murders are linked to this dispute. Village headman Md. Sahidullah told Prothom Alo that such an incident is unprecedented in this remote village. He expressed hope that the killer, who left the murder weapon (a machete) at the scene, would be caught soon.

On Friday morning, the bodies remained at the Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital morgue. Around 11 a.m., three young villagers—Md. Salman Hossain, Hasib Hossain, and Ariful Islam—were seen outside the morgue. They said one of Amena Begum’s three sons in the country is traveling from Dhaka, one is in police custody, and the third cited illness and could not come. The trio represented the village to collect the bodies. Ariful Islam noted that only the mother and daughter lived in the house, though Rahena’s son, Md. Saddam Hossain, stayed with them when visiting from Dhaka.