Notre Dame College student Yougen Hanasie Gonsalves was found dead inside a flat at Dhaka’s Sobujbag area on Tuesday (Feb 13).
Rapid Action Battalion arrested a Sabita Begum, 26, on Saturday (Feb 16) who confessed to killing him in cold blood.
Twenty-two-year-old Yougen was a witness in a case started by Sabita, RAB-3 chief Emranul Hassan told the media on Sunday (Feb 17).
Yougen used to blackmail her for money and at one point she decided to kill him to get rid of him altogether, he said.
A Stamford University law student, Sabita met Yougen through the ‘Poor Peoples Help Foundation’ where they were both served as volunteers.
She became a blood donor at the foundation at the urging of Advocate Zafar Ullah, who she claims harassed and cheated her.
Sabita filed a case against Zafar in 2017, where Yougen was a key witness. He had been blackmailing her since then.
To save Yougen from Zafar’s anger, they decided to take a flat at Sabujbag and split the rent. Sabita paid a Tk 5,000 deposit for the flat as well.
However, on Feb 2, he demanded Tk 8000 from her as advance rent money. He also badgered her several times in the day for his mobile bill or drug money, according to RAB.
“Sabita killed Yougen out of extreme anger and exasperation,” senior RAB officer Hassan said, adding she has confessed to purchasing a bag and a large kitchen knife for the murder, which took place on Feb 5.
“On Feb 2, Yougen agreed to go to the house he and Sabita rented,” he added.
Quoting Sabita, who was clad in a burka on the day of the murder, he said that she bought a beverage on her way to meet him.
After they reached the house Yougen went out to buy something to drink and she took the opportunity to mix drugs into the beverage she brought.
“She offered him the drug-mixed drink and he lost consciousness after drinking it.”
Hassan said that Sabita proceeded to stab him continuously until his death before leaving the flat.
Neighbours reported to police when they found Yougen’s body. After police recovered the body, his sister filed a case in the matter.