Mohana said she was not given proper food in the house and was locked inside the bathroom for most of the day. For even minor mistakes, she was burned on different parts of her body with a hot metal ladle. She was also prevented from contacting her parents.
Eleven-year-old Mohana, who was subjected to inhuman torture for eight months at the residence of former Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing Director and CEO Shafiqur Rahman in Uttara, is currently suffering from severe psychological trauma. Doctors say the emotional scars run deeper than her visible burn injuries.
Mohana is now receiving treatment at the Surgery Department of Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital. Residential Medical Officer Sheikh Farhad said that alongside prolonged physical abuse, the child is experiencing extreme mental distress. “In addition to medical treatment, regular psychotherapy is urgently needed,” he said.
Hospital sources reported that Mohana has signs of beating and burn injuries on her chest, back, arms, legs, and other parts of her body. While some wounds have started to heal, many remain fresh and painful. She is also suffering from anemia and severe psychological distress.
Recalling her ordeal, Mohana said she was denied adequate food and confined to the bathroom for most of the day. She added that she was burned with a hot ladle for minor errors and was not allowed to communicate with her parents.
Mohana’s father, Golam Mostafa, said he had sent his daughter to work at Shafiqur Rahman’s house eight months ago, hoping to improve his family’s financial condition. The house owner’s wife, Bithi, had assured him that Mohana would be treated like her own child. However, when Mohana was returned on January 31, her body was covered in injuries. Golam Mostafa alleged that he was intimidated and forced to sign a blank paper before his daughter was handed over to him.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) Jalal Uddin Mahmud of Konabari Police Station said the incident came to police attention through a Facebook post that went viral on the night of January 31. Police later rescued the child and admitted her to hospital. On Monday afternoon, Additional Inspector General Mahitul Islam visited Mohana on behalf of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner and provided financial assistance of Tk 50,000.
Meanwhile, OC Kazi Rafiq Ahmed of Uttara West Police Station said that former Biman Bangladesh Airlines MD and CEO Shafiqur Rahman, his wife Bithi, and two housemaids, Rupali Khatun and Sufia Begum, have been arrested in connection with the abuse. They were produced before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Monday afternoon, which ordered them to be sent to jail.
