Couple kills \\\'possessed\\\' daughter

Police in Chandpur have arrested a couple for beating to death their three-year-old child to drive off the jinn who they said possessed her. Emran Hossain, 40, and Amena Begum, 35, were implicated and sent to jail following a court order on Wednesday. The killing of ‘Sumaya’ occurred at remote Kamarbarhi of Tarapur in Shahrasti Upazila early on Tuesday. Shahrasti Police Station OC Mizanur Rahman said the couple practiced traditional healing – ‘Kabiraji’ –of which exorcism or spiritual therapy is a part. Hossain told the police that his wife is also possessed by a jinn (genie). Quoting Hossain and Begum, the OC said they tried to cure their daughter off of the jinn possession, but the jinn killed her. Hossain was a seasonal carpenter in the area known as Siraj Memberer Barhi. Begum started telling people a week ago that Sumaiya had been possessed. Then the couple started taking money from people by performing the spiritual therapy. Locals stopped Begum when she was beating Sumayia up, saying the child, too, was possessed. The residents of the area also gave the child first aid. Bringing her back, Hossain joined his wife to beat the child again in the night. Sumayia died early on Tuesday. Local Sohrab Hossain told bdnews24.com he went to their house when he heard of the therapy. “I saw the couple beating the girl,” he said “They said jinn taught them the process of the ‘treatment’. They said their child would get well with this treatment. We informed the chairman (of the union council) then,” he added. North Meher Union Council Chairman Saiful Islam Rony said he heard that a child was beaten to death by her parents in the name of ‘Kabiraji’. “I couldn’t visit the house because it is far away from mine,” he said. “I’ve heard that the locals tried to stop them hearing the cry of the girl,” he added. The neighbours called police when they saw the door of Hossain’s house shut on Tuesday morning. Police later recovered the body. OC Rahman said there were injury marks in the back of her head and other parts of the body. It was sent to Chandpur Sadar Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination. Sub-Inspector Nizamuddin filed the case against the couple. Doctor Md Belayet Hossain told bdnews24.com it was clear in the autopsy that the reason behind the child’s death was torture. “There were marks of wounds in several parts of the body,” he said. According to the neighbours, Hossain and Begum thought of income by swindling people out of their money when they failed to repay Tk 100,000 loan taken from an NGO. They beat up their daughter to make people believe that they had spiritual healing powers. OC Rahman said he also heard of the loan. “But I couldn’t find from what NGO they took the loan. I can’t say more on this before further confirmations,” he added. He also said it seemed from conversations with the couple that Hossain was normal, but Begum could be mentally sick. “She has grown locks. She was refusing to eat, saying the jinn forbade her to do so. These matters will be clear in investigation,” he added.
- mbz