A two-and-a-half-year-old girl, who was allegedly tortured by her stepmother in Gazipur, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) after fighting for life for a month.
The victim was identified as Marium Akter, daughter of Dubai expatriate Mostafa Kamal.
The victim, who was undergoing treatment at the DMCH’s children ward for the last one month, died at around 6:30pm Sunday, confirmed Sub-inspector (SI) of Sreepur police station Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
Tortures caused infections in the anus and the genital organs of the victim and spread throughout the body, said the SI.
On August 14, a case was filed against the victim’s stepmother, Alifa Akter Ripa, 30, with the Sreepur police station by Mostafa’s father Afaz Uddin, for abusing the child.
The five-storey building owned by victim’s father Mostafa kamal | Dhaka Tribune
In the case file, he mentioned that the accused purposefully tortured the victim to exert pressure on her husband to transfer the ownership of a multi-storey building to her.
According to family members, Mostafa, who has been working in Dubai for 13 years, constructed a five-storey building in the Sreepur municipality area with his earnings.
He was married to Marium's mother, Sabina Yasmin, eight years ago.
Later he met Alifa in Dubai, and eventually married her, divorcing his first wife Sabina, just after four months of Marium’s birth.
Six months ago, Mostafa went back to Dubai leaving Marium in the custody of Alifa in Sreepur.
Later, out of greed, the accused started torturing the innocent child on her anus and genital organs in various ways.
When the victim’s condition deteriorated, she was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in critical condition, a month back.
The accused is in police custody, confirmed Sreepur police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who is also the investigating officer of the case.
A charge-sheet will be framed as soon as possible after the autopsy of the body, said the officer.
