Police say they have uncovered the circumstances surrounding the killing of a seven-year-old girl in Faridpur. Her body was recovered from a banana grove near Bakhunda Railway Station in Faridpur Sadar on Thursday.
According to police, an easy-bike driver, Israfil Mridha, 24, allegedly lured the child with chocolate and took her to an abandoned house in the Bakhunda Ashrayan Project area on 24 April. He then attempted to rape her but failed. When the child threatened to inform her mother, he strangled her, police said.
The claim was made by Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Md Azmir Hossain at a press briefing held at Faridpur Kotwali police station at around 11:30 am on Friday.
Police said the body was later placed in the septic tank of a nearby house. On 28 April, after a foul smell was detected, the homeowner, Nasima Begum, recovered the body with the help of her two sons. They then placed it in a drum and dumped it in a banana grove near the railway station.
The child’s father filed a murder case against unidentified persons after the body was recovered. Police subsequently arrested Israfil Mridha, Nasima Begum, 45, and her son Sheikh Amin, 19, between 12:30 pm and 6:00 pm on Thursday.
Investigators said the child’s clothing, sandals, a plastic drum used to transport the body, and a blanket were seized as evidence.
Faridpur Kotwali police station officer-in-charge Mahmudul Hasan said that if Israfil does not provide a confessional statement before the court, police will seek a seven-day remand for him.