The body of a woman who had gone missing while staying at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital with her sick child has been recovered from beneath a lift at the same hospital four days later.
The deceased was identified as Kohinur Akter, wife of Qatar expatriate Nurul Islam from South Dailpara area of Ward 7 under Rajapalong union in Ukhiya upazila.
“Hospital authorities discovered the body around this noon (7 March) after tracing a foul smell coming from the area,” Dr Mong Ting Nyo, the hospital superintendent, told The Business Standard.
“The smell was first noticed near a public lift used by patients and visitors. After searching for the source, the body was found inside a pit beneath the lift. Relatives were immediately informed and the body is being recovered in the presence of family members, police and hospital authorities,” Dr Mong added.
Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Chhami Uddin informed that Kohinur had brought her five-year-old daughter, Mariyam Akter, to the hospital on 3 March for treatment.
“The child was admitted to Unit 2 of the paediatric ward on the fifth floor. On 4 March, around 12:30pm, Kohinur went downstairs from the fifth floor, saying she was going to buy medicine. She had been missing since then,” the OC said.
Following her disappearance, Kohinur’s father-in-law Ali Akbar filed a general diary with the police.
OC Chhami Uddin further said police had been searching for her in various locations since the report was filed. “Later today, hospital authorities informed police about the discovery of a body beneath the lift.”
The OC added, “A police team rushed to the scene, but investigators have not yet found any clear indication of how the woman fell into the pit. An investigation is ongoing.”
Abdullah Al Mamun, a nephew of the deceased’s husband, said CCTV footage from the hospital shows Kohinur entering a lift on the fourth floor on the day she went missing, but she was not seen coming out.
He has demanded a thorough investigation to determine whether her death was caused by a lift-related accident or another reason.
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