The body of the two-year-old Yosamin, one of four children reportedly thrown into the Surkhob River by their mother in Khatlon’s Farkhor district, was discovered eight days later on the Afghan side of the Panj River. Afghan residents recovered the body and handed it over to Tajik authorities.
According to the Emergencies Committee and family members, Yosamin was thrown into the river on the night of June 29–30 along with her two sisters and baby brother by their mother, Madina Halimova.
Officials of the Emergencies Committee’s Office in Kulob told Asia-Plus that the child’s body was found by Afghan villagers along the Panj River, which serves as a border between the two countries. One of Yosamin’s sisters remains missing, while the bodies of her three-year-old sister Zaynab and two-month-old brother Muhammad were recovered on the day of the incident.
“Our teams searched along the river route all the way to Afghanistan. Afghan residents found Yosamin’s body, but the five-year-old Latofat has not yet been located,” an official within the Energencies Committee’s Office in Kulob told Asia-Plus in an interview.
Madina Halimova, the mother, survived the apparent murder-suicide attempt and is currently in custody. The case first gained attention after it was shared on social media and was later confirmed by the Emergencies Committee officials.
Relatives, including Halimova’s father and husband, told media that she suffers from a mental illness, which they believe led to the tragic incident.
The first reports of the incident emerged on social media, accompanied by video clips showing authorities searching the river. Later, the Emergencies Committee confirmed the event and provided the motive as revenge linked to polygamy. The Interior Ministry confirmed the deaths but refused to share further details.
However, Halimova’s husband, refuted claims that he had taken another wife. He insisted his marriage was harmonious and full of mutual understanding.
Halimova’s father, Saifullo Halimov, echoed these sentiments in a phone conversation with Asia-Plus, confirming that his daughter had lived well with her husband and denying rumors of a second marriage.
They said Halimova suffers from a mental illness, which they believe led to the tragic incident.
As the community reels from the shock, the case has sparked broader conversations about mental health, domestic strain, and the responsibilities of state institutions to protect vulnerable families. This tragic case continues to unfold.
