Dead newborn girl recovered in Raghunathpur, Satkhira; mother Sharmin Akter arrested

The arrested woman, Sharmin Akter (32), is the wife of Ibrahim Khalil (42) and a resident of Raghunathpur village in Kalaroa upazila.

Satkhira Kalaroa police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sheikh Saiful Islam said on Tuesday (October 21) morning that at around 8 PM on Monday, the child’s father, Ibrahim Khalil, came to the police station to file a General Diary (GD) regarding his missing newborn daughter. However, the police found his statements suspicious and started an on-site investigation.

During questioning, Sharmin Akter confessed that she had thrown the newborn daughter into the canal due to mental stress after giving birth to two daughters consecutively. Following her directions, the police recovered the baby’s body from under water hyacinths in a nearby government canal.

The child was immediately taken to the Kalaroa Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared her dead.

OC Sheikh Saiful Islam added that the child’s grandmother, Khadija Khatun, filed a case at the police station. Sharmin Akter was sent to court on Tuesday. DNA samples of the newborn have been collected and sent to the forensic department for testing.

Local resident Monsur Ali said, “The child was missing since evening, and the behavior of the mother and father was unusual. The matter only came to light after the police arrived.”

Additional Police Superintendent Mithun Sarkar, district detective (DB) police, and PBI officials were present at the scene and oversaw the investigation. The police described the incident as an “extreme social tragedy” and noted that the role of familial and mental stress factors is also being examined.