Madrasah student’s body recovered in Rampura: Another student arrested over rape allegation

Police have arrested an accused in the case involving the recovery of the hanging body of a madrasah student in the Rampura police station area of the capital.

The arrested individual, Shihab Hossain, 19, is also a student at the same madrasah.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Harun Ar Rashid of the Motijheel Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police confirmed the information to Prothom Alo on Thursday.

According to the Motijheel Division police, the hanging body of a 10-year-old student was recovered from a madrasah in Rampura on the night of 19 May.

A post-mortem examination was ordered after an inquest report was prepared, and the body was sent to the morgue of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. During the inquest, police observed signs suggesting that the child may have been subjected to abnormal sexual abuse.

Following the incident, the victim’s mother filed a case at Rampura police station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, naming Shihab and several unidentified individuals as accused. The complaint also includes allegations of abetment to suicide.

DC Harun Ar Rashid said to Prothom Alo that Shihab had left the madrasah and gone to his village home before the body was recovered. Later, a police team from Rampura police station conducted a raid in Pabna and arrested him. He is currently being interrogated preliminarily.

Officials of the madrasah have also been questioned, and they stated during interrogation that there had been allegations against Shihab involving inappropriate sexual conduct with students.

When contacted, Rampura police station officer-in-charge (OC) Md. Jahangir Hossain told Prothom Alo that the victim’s mother suspects her son may have been sexually assaulted, which may have led to suicide.

He added that the exact cause will be confirmed after the post-mortem report is received.