Family Claims Foul Play In Vogue Cover Model's 'Suicide'

A Vogue cover model, Raudha Athif, was found dead in a hostel dormitory.

Remember the "Maldivian girl with aqua blue eyes"? The Muslim model was featured on the cover of Vogue India last October and shattered stereotypes. She was found hanging in her room on March 29. But her family has claimed that she was murdered for not wearing Islamic clothes.

A student of Islami Bank Medical College in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, the model had reportedly committed suicide. An autopsy conducted into the second-year student’s death had revealed it to be a case of suicide. However, with her brother, Rayyan Athif, alleging that she was in fact murdered, an investigation has started again.

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According to The Sun, Raudha (21) had angered many Muslim extremists in Bangladesh by using her platform as a model to voice crucial subjects and defend victims in the middle of religious controversies.

Raudha’s dad, Mohamed Athif, while speaking to Metro, stated, “The Maldivian medical student and my daughter Raudha Athif did not commit suicide. She was murdered at her hostel room. I have the facts.”

The extremists weren’t happy seeing Raudha not wearing Islamic clothes. ''Raudha's style of clothing was branded as 'immodest' and 'un-Islamic' even though she adhered to the dress code on the college premises by wearing a veil covering her face,'' Rayyan Athif was quoted as saying by WND.

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Her actions could have further hurt religious sentiments, said Rayyan, adding that because of this reason, extremists felt threatened and thus got her killed. He further claimed that just weeks before she died, she said someone had mixed sleeping pills in her drink.

Maldivian medical student and my daughter Raudha Athif did not commit sucide.She was murdered at her hostel room.I ve the facts

— Dr.Mohamed Athif (@DrMohamedAthif) April 4, 2017

On the other hand, speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Amin Hossain, assistant commissioner of Bangladesh's Rajshahi Metropolitan Police detective branch, added that “there may be a '50 per cent chance that she did not commit suicide".

Raudha wanted to be a doctor and pursued modelling as a hobby. On Instagram, she had more than 30,000 followers but her page was taken down after her death.

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Feature Image Credit: WND

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