A newlywed couple in Rajshahi held a press conference today to declare that the bride had not been abducted.
“I was not abducted. I came to know my family was preparing to file a case against my husband, so I wanted everyone to know, yesterday I left my home willingly and married the love of my life,” the bride said in the press conference, dispelling allegations from her family's side.
Twenty-one-year-old Fatima Tabassum’s family forced her into marrying a Saudi expatriate in 2019. She came back to Bangladesh 18 months later, in 2021.
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Fatima and her husband, Fazle Rabbi, 26, are residents of the Bou Bazar area of Ramchandrapur.
The groom, a businessman by profession, said in the press conference that Fatima’s parents had disapproved of their marriage and filed a false lawsuit against him.
“They still couldn’t break our bond and forced Fatima into marrying another man in 2019. She was being tortured at home since she came back from Saudi Arabia,” he said.
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Mentioning that he is concerned that Fatima's family will file another fraudulent lawsuit against him, he said, “I’m prepared for it. Fatima will tell the truth in court,” he added.
Mazharul Islam, officer-in-charge of Boalia police station, said Fatima’s family informed the police about the incident, but no complaint has yet been filed.