Ashraful Alam at the grand opening of the SLSA Museum in July 2022. (Image Credit: battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW staff

CRIME

Former Battleford CAO arrested in Bangladesh in international homicide case

Mar 17, 2026 | 11:40 AM

A former chief administrative officer (CAO) for the Town of Battleford has been arrested in Bangladesh in connection with the 2023 killing of his wife.

Bangladesh police say Ashraful Alam, also known as Ash Alam, was detained by immigration authorities at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Feb. 12 after arriving from Canada, according to The Business Standard, a Dhaka-based newspaper.

Officers then arrested him on an outstanding warrant and brought him before a court.

Alam is being held in Dhaka Central Jail as the case proceeds.

He is accused of killing his wife, Afroza Begum, who was reported missing in Dhaka on May 27, 2023. Her body was recovered four days later, buried within the boundary of a home in the Dakshinkhan area.

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Authorities allege Alam fled to Canada shortly after the killing.

The case first drew attention in Saskatchewan in June 2023. Bangladeshi media identified Ashraful Alam as a suspect in the case. battlefordsNOW verified it was the same Alam who had been working as the CAO for the Town of Battleford. The town later confirmed Alam had been terminated after failing to return from a leave of absence and missing deadlines to resume his duties.

Alam began working for the town in October 2020 after previously serving as a CAO in Buffalo Narrows, and later worked with the Wabasca/Desmarais Housing Authority before taking a CAO position in New Denver, B.C.

battlefordsNOW reached out to the Town of New Denver, which confirmed that he has not worked for them since June 2025.

Saskatchewan RCMP previously said they had no information to provide but noted they assist other agencies upon request, including efforts to locate wanted individuals.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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*This story was amended on March 18, 2026 to clarify that battlefordsNOW independently verified, through a credible source, that the suspect in the case was in fact the same Ashraful Alam who had been working for the town as CAO.

cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com