DHAKA – An Irish-Bangladeshi beauty pageant winner has claimed of being seriously sexually assaulted and threatened with death in a horrifying attack.
Maksuda Akhter, a mum of two in her late 20s, revealed her life fell apart when a prominent businessman tried to rape her.
And the former Miss Earth Ireland 2015 and Miss Earth International winner urged women here to speak out against abuse.
Maksuda, who has lived in Ireland for 18 years, was visiting her native country in 2015 when she claims she was sexually assaulted while in an office to discuss a TV advert.
The Dubliner, who is working with gardai and Interpol to get justice, said: “The owner of the company called me and told me, ‘You have to come to my office to get your payment’. I didn’t have any bank account in Bangladesh.”
The qualified pilot added: “A secretary brought me to the office and left and then suddenly he came and he put his hands under my clothes and then he pulled me to stand up and he threw me on the table.
“He was basically trying to rape me and he put his hands under my pants.
“And then I thought, ‘Okay I’m going to be raped’.
“I froze and I don’t know why I didn’t scream but the office was so secure no one was going to hear.
“He’s kind of mafia and he is a dangerous man. He has all the power with the money there.”
Maksuda, who claims she had major fears for her safety, added: “I was thinking how will I get out of this office?”
The Fine Gael member, who has attended numerous events attended by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and other Cabinet ministers, said: “I had an idea and I said, ‘Let’s not do it today, let’s come back. Let’s do it properly in a nice environment’.
“Then he stopped for a second and he stood up and I did up my clothing and I told him I would come back the next day for my money and eventually he let me go.”
Business graduate Maksuda, who had been staying with a friend, returned to Ireland with her children a few days later and added: “He called and said, ‘I know why you didn’t come back and if you open your mouth then it will take two minutes to knock you down and Ireland is not far for me’.
“He said he was going to kill me in Bengali.”
The beauty contestant winner is bringing up her two kids as a single parent said: “I was severely depressed, anxious and I couldn’t sleep. I hurt myself, I contemplated suicide and I was on tablets for two years.
“If it was wasn’t for my kids I think I would have taken my life.”
