Dhaka: A 32-year-old Bangladeshi television journalist was found dead in a lake in Dhaka on Wednesday. Sarah Rahanuma, a news editor with Gazi TV, a Bengali satellite and cable television channel owned by the Gazi Group, was found floating in Dhaka’s Hatirjheel Lake, Dhaka Tribune reported.

Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) police outpost, confirmed the recovery of Sarah’s body. Her body was pulled out of the lake by pedestrians and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where the doctor declared her dead at around 2:00 am (local time).

A man named Sagar, who took Sarah to the hospital, said: “I saw the woman floating in Hatirjheel Lake. She was later taken to DMCH where doctors declared her dead.” Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the son of deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, gave the death a political angle, calling it a “brutal attack on freedom of expression.”

“Rahmuna Sara Gazi TV news editor has been found dead. Her body was recovered from Hatirjheel Lake in Dhaka city. This is another brutal attack on freedom of expression in Bangladesh. Gazi TV is a secular news channel owned by Golam Dastagir Gazi who was recently arrested,” Joy said on X.

A journalist’s cryptic last message on social media

A day before her body was recovered, Sarah reportedly went to work but did not return home that night, according to her husband, Sayed Shuvro. At around 3 a.m., he was informed that she had jumped into the waters of Lake Hatirjheel.

“I called her and said, ‘You are coming home tonight anyway, so why did you send the money to someone else?’ She told me she was busy and hung up. Later, around 3 am, I heard that she had jumped into the lake,” Shuvro said. He also shared that Sarah had expressed a desire to separate from him for some time. They had planned to visit a Kazi office to finalize their divorce, but due to the current situation in the country, they could not do so. What added to the mystery surrounding Sarah’s death was her last message on Facebook.

Sarah posted a status on Facebook on Tuesday evening, tagging a certain Fahim Faysal. “It was nice to have a friend like you. God bless you always. I hope you fulfill all your dreams soon. I know we had a lot planned together. Sorry we cannot fulfill our plans. May God bless you in every aspect of your life,” she wrote.

In an earlier post, she wrote, “It is better to die than to live a life resembling death.” She replied to the post with the comment “I will die today,” which was widely shared on social media. She was also suffering from clinical depression and was undergoing treatment, her family and friends told bdnews.24.

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