BATTLEFORD — As friends wonder how former Estevan resident Afroza Begum came to be murdered in Bangladesh, SASKTODAY.ca has credible information that the man described as the husband who fled after her death is a resident of Saskatchewan who has been out of touch with his employers for some time.
Ashraful Alam has been a resident of Battleford for about three years. Prior to that he worked in Buffalo Narrows. Most recently he was the chief administrative officer for the Town of Battleford, but has been fired from his position.
At press time, the whereabouts of Alam were unknown to SASKTODAY.ca, however news reports from Bangladesh indicate the deceased woman’s husband had fled to Canada.
Saskatchewan RCMP have told SASKTODAY.ca they are looking into the matter. Generally speaking, they said, Saskatchewan RCMP assists other law enforcement agencies with their investigations, including locating wanted individuals, upon request.
News stories say Afroza Begum had been buried at the home of her husband's family, and her body was uncovered May 31 after being reported missing by her brother May 28.
The reports say Begum's husband had not been immediately arrested and was believed to have fled to Canada. Local police are reported in the Bangladesh press as suspecting her husband of the killing, however Alam’s father, brother and sister-in-law were all taken into custody.
Begum’s brother told the press his sister, sister-in-law and niece had come to Bangladesh about three months ago and that they were all Canadian citizens.
Tuesday, Battleford town council issued a statement that Alam had been let go from his position of CAO as of Friday, June 9, due to an extended unapproved absence. Council said Town Hall has to have a certified CAO on staff in order to move ahead with council business, and in the best interest of the community "...the decision was required sooner than later to not delay summer projects and funding.”
Council was of the understanding that he had gone to the United Arab Emirates to attend to a family emergency, however he had attended meetings virtually for a time after he left, with the last of those being on April 10.
Information suggests he has only just recently returned to Canada.
This story has been updated to include a comment from the RCMP.
