I don’t know what I was thinking,” says husband accused of killing wife after discovering her affair with ‘TikTok lover
A husband accused of murdering his wife after discovering her affair with a ‘TikTok lover’ broke down in court as he recounted strangling her, stuffing her body into a suitcase, and throwing it into a river in a panic.
Suma Begum, 24, was allegedly murdered by Aminan Rahman, 47, in a Docklands flat in east London. Rahman, a chef at an Indian restaurant, is said to have strangled his wife on April 29 of last year before disposing of her body in the River Lea, the Old Bailey heard.
The court was told that Rahman killed Ms. Begum after discovering her affair with Shahin Miah, 24, whom she had met on TikTok. Rahman, in tears, described how his wife was on a video call with Mr. Miah, who insulted Rahman, before she allegedly grabbed their two-year-old son and tried to hit him.
Rahman stated, “She became very angry. She wanted to hit him. She was kicking me, scratching me. I grabbed her to stop her hitting my son. I thought if she grabbed him she might throw him out the window. I put both my hands around her neck. She dropped to the floor. I was shocked. I was panicking. Then I called Miah and said: ‘Because of you this has happened.'”
Jurors were shown footage of the video call, with Ms. Begum lying lifeless and her son crying next to her. Realizing his wife was dead, Rahman said, “I got scared, I got panicked. I took my son next door. I had no intention to cause her any harm.”
Rahman admitted to placing his wife’s body in the suitcase and disposing of it in the river, adding, “I don’t know what I was thinking. I was panicking so much. I don’t know how and why I did it.” He considered calling the police but didn’t know the address and feared he couldn’t explain everything.
Rahman, who denies murder but admits preventing an unlawful burial, also denies attacking Ms. Begum on February 6. Ms. Begum had moved to the UK in 2020 after marrying Rahman over the phone. Their children were two years and four months old at her death.
The court heard that Ms. Begum had video-called Mr. Miah on February 6, showing him marks on her neck and claiming Rahman had attacked her. Rahman, crying in court, said he saw Ms. Begum hitting their son. He claimed she had earlier threatened to drink bleach to kill their unborn child.
Rahman said he never attacked his son but witnessed Ms. Begum hit him on February 6 and April 29. He knew Ms. Begum was going to leave him for Mr. Miah and had moved to Leeds with their children. He worried about his son when she took him to Leeds.
When asked if he missed his son, he said, “I do not have a word to express how much I missed him.” Rahman recounted going to Leeds on February 5 and staying overnight. Ms. Begum demanded £50,000 from him and then called Mr. Miah, who insulted Rahman.
Rahman said, “He swore at me in indecent language, using words like ‘old, aged, son of a wh***.’ After hearing those words, I was nervous and scared because I’m not used to this kind of language. I said, ‘Suma, how have you become so bad? You’ve called him in front of me and are asking me for money. Have you gone that low?'”
He said Ms. Begum then kicked their son. “He fell on the ground, I picked him up, then Suma picked up a knife. She said, ‘Today I will kill someone, at least one.’ I became shocked. I thought she might throw the knife and if it hits my son, he will be hurt. So I grabbed her hand with the knife, pushed her, and held her neck. I took the knife and my son and went out.”
Rahman denies murder and assault but admits preventing a lawful burial. The trial continues.