The body of a nine-year-old girl, who was strangled to death by her stepmother, was recovered from a ditch in Jashore city on Tuesday afternoon.
The victim was Marjina Akter Jonaki, 9, daughter of Shahinur Tarafader, a resident of Jashore's Benapole upazila. She was a third-grader of a local madrasah.
Police recovered the body of the child with several injury marks on her face, hands, feet and neck from the ditch at Railgate Westpara area in the city.
After recovering the body, police on Tuesday night detained the victim's stepmother Nargis Begum, 35, suspecting her involvement in the killing. During primary questioning, Nargis admitted to her crime and gave a confessional statement to the Jashore Senior Judicial Magistrate Court under Section 164.
Jashore Senior Judicial Magistrate Imran Ahmed sent the accused to jail on Wenesday afternoonafter recording the statement.
According to the confessional statement, the victim's father Shahinur Tarafader had two wives earlier. Among them, one died and the another divorced him. He has four children from previous wives. Shahinur then, got married with the accused Nargis Begum on 2021 and started living in a rented house in the city.
Since the marriage, a family dispute has been taking place between them as Shahin don't want any more children from Nargis. On March 26, Nargis and Shahin went to visit their village and returned Jashore with the victim Jonaki. As sequel to the family dispute, Nargis strangled the child to death when Shahin went out of the house on Monday.
She (Nargis) then dumped the body in the ditch.
After being failed locate Jonaki in the area, Shahin lodged a general diary with Jashore Kotwali Police Station on Monday night.
Following the case, police started investigating the matter and recovered the body, said SI Mafizul Islam, investigation officer of the case.
Later, police arrested the lone accused and sent her to Jashore Central Jail following a court order, added the police official.
