A 25-year-old housewife was shot dead in front of her mother in Khulna on Thursday evening, amid growing concerns over the city’s deteriorating law and order situation.
Khushi Begum was killed around 7:30pm on October 22 after getting off a rickshaw at Lane 7 in Jinnah Para, under Lobonchora Police Station.
Khushi, a mother of two, was reportedly approached by two men on a motorcycle who asked her about her husband. Police suspect the killing may have stemmed from a dispute linked to drug trafficking.
According to Khushi’s mother, the two men approached her daughter shortly after they got off the rickshaw following a shopping trip. When Khushi said she did not know where her husband had gone, one of the assailants opened fire in front of her mother, while the other attacked her with a sharp weapon.
Witnesses said one attacker shot Khushi from behind before firing another round at close range, including at her head. His accomplice then hacked her with a sharp weapon. The assailants fled on their motorcycle as people nearby approached the scene.
Khushi’s mother, assisted by local residents, took her to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
Lobonchora Police Station Officer-in-Charge Syed Mosharraf Hossain said the body had been kept at the hospital morgue for an autopsy. He said Khushi and her husband, Sumon Howlader, also known as Blade Babu, were involved in drug trafficking and had faced drug-related cases.
Police are investigating the motive and working to identify those responsible.
Police Instruct Officers Not to Travel Alone at Night
The killing comes amid heightened security concerns in Khulna, where police have also faced violent attacks.
On October 10, the Khulna district police issued an internal directive instructing officers not to travel alone at night following an attack on a police inspector by suspected muggers.
The directive was issued in a letter signed by the superintendent of police of the district’s Special Branch. It cited the prevailing law and order situation, recent incidents and attacks on law enforcement personnel.
The order covered officers deployed in special operations and other duties, particularly in Rupsa, Terokhada, Dighalia and Batiaghata upazilas. Unit commanders were instructed to take necessary measures to ensure personnel’s safety.
Khulna Superintendent of Police Sarker Omar Faruk said Inspector Shah Alam, 43, was seriously injured in a mugging late on the night of October 8 while returning to the city after a special operation in Rupsa.
Shah Alam was travelling by rickshaw in civilian clothes when three suspected muggers stopped him in front of Khulna Collegiate School on Khan Jahan Ali Road. They allegedly took his money and mobile phones before attacking him with a machete when he resisted, inflicting severe injuries to both wrists.
He was initially taken to hospital and later transferred to a private hospital in Dhaka for advanced treatment. He remained under treatment.
Faruk said the restriction was introduced to protect police personnel from becoming victims of mugging while travelling alone after duty. He described the letter as an internal security measure rather than a public warning about the overall security situation.
Special Operations Launched After Fatal Shootings
The district police launched special operations on October 6 to arrest criminals and recover illegal firearms following a series of violent incidents.
Among the incidents prompting the crackdown were the shooting death of Akhtar Dhali in Rupsa, around a month and a half after his son Joy Dhali was killed, and the shooting death of a man at a tea stall in Formayshakhana, Dighalia.
Several alleged criminal groups have repeatedly come under scrutiny following violent incidents in Khulna. These include B-Company, the Palash Group, Huma Bahini, the Arman Group, the Shakil Group, the Nasim Group, the Ashik Group, the Nur Azim Group and the Tengki Shawon Group.
Some local residents have alleged that weak monitoring over the years has allowed such groups to expand their influence in different neighbourhoods, raising concerns about public safety.
Police say special operations and intensified surveillance are underway to bring the situation under control.
On June 23, police arrested Parvez Gazi, 32, in the Lobonchora area. Police described him as a leading gunman of the Ashik Group, which they identify as one of the city’s prominent criminal groups.
Investigators are continuing efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding Khushi’s killing and identify those responsible.
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