The body of a 34-year-old woman, Rabia Fakir, who had been missing for 23 days, was discovered in a dense forest on Henry Island in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district. The police revealed that Rabia was allegedly murdered and buried under sand in Henry Island’s forest area in an attempt to hide the crime. Her alleged lover, Zahirul Sardar, has been taken into custody in connection with the case.
Rabia, a resident of Joynagar under Bakultala police station’s jurisdiction, was reportedly in an extramarital relationship with Zahirul, who also lived in the same locality. Police investigations indicated that differences had arisen between the two recently. Rabia went missing on May 26, prompting her family to file a missing person report at Bakultala police station. Zahirul was apprehended on June 18 following the investigation.
The accused purportedly confessed to the crime during interrogation. He admitted to taking Rabia to Bakkhali on May 26 under the guise of a trip to the seaside resort town, where he allegedly strangled her to death in a secluded area of Henry Island. Subsequently, he buried her body under sand to conceal the evidence. Teams from Bakultala and Fraserganj Coastal police stations, based on the confession, accompanied the accused to the location on Friday and recovered the body, which has been sent to Kakdwip Hospital morgue for a post-mortem examination.
A senior officer from Baruipur Police District stated that the accused led authorities to Henry Island to retrieve the woman’s body after confessing to the crime. The body has been recovered and sent for autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. An ongoing investigation aims to establish if others were involved in the incident. Rabia’s brother, Ashraf Fakir, accused Zahirul of enticing his sister into a relationship before killing her and burying her, urging severe punishment for the accused.
