Apratim murder: Two of the four accused are minors; father seeks highest punishment

Police have submitted a chargesheet to the court in the murder case of Ishayat Shahriar, also known as Apratim (13), the son of Nahida Begum, an associate professor in the Department of Bengali at Cumilla University. Four people, including two adolescents, have been named in the chargesheet.

The chargesheet against the four accused was submitted last Tuesday, 31 days after Apratim’s body was recovered. His family is now awaiting the start of the trial. They hope the judicial process will be completed swiftly and that the perpetrators will receive the maximum punishment.

Lutfur Rahman, additional superintendent of police and media officer for the district police, confirmed the submission of the charge sheet at around 12:30 am early Thursday. He said a chargesheet had been filed in court on 20 October against four accused, including two adolescents. The investigation had found preliminary evidence of criminal involvement against all four.

Speaking to Prothom Alo at around 1 am early Thursday, KM Firoz Shahriar, the plaintiff in the case and Apratim’s father, said, “Three days ago, I called the case’s investigating officer to ask, ‘When will you submit the chargesheet to the court?’ He told me that the chargesheet would be submitted as soon as the Puja holidays ended. At around 12:30 am today (last night), he called me and informed me that he had submitted the chargesheet to the court. They have notified me of the matter. Beyond that, I know nothing more.”

Firoz Shahriar added, “Our lives revolved around Apratim. But they have taken that away from us. We want to see the murderers brought to trial without delay. We hope the court will impose the highest punishment on the killers as soon as possible. Now we have only one demand: the maximum punishment for the killers.”

Inspector (Investigation) Rajib Ahmed of Cumilla Sadar South Model Police Station investigated the case. He was the second investigating officer assigned to it.

The charge sheet names Saiful Islam, also known as Tuhin (19); Md. Siam (19); and two adolescents aged 15 and 16 as accused. They have been charged under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the Penal Code. In accordance with the Children Act, the two adolescents have been identified as children in the chargesheet.

According to police, Tuhin was the main planner of the murder and the principal accused. Siam was also involved in planning Apratim’s murder. Three people are accused of directly participating in the killing, while Siam allegedly provided assistance, police said.

Police stated that Tuhin and the two adolescents aged 15 and 16 had given confessional statements before the court. The other accused, Siam, has also been charged with assisting in and participating in the planning of the murder.

The details of the chargesheet are still unclear to Apratim’s family. They have had questions about the ages of the two adolescents from the very beginning. The family had demanded that their actual ages be determined through DNA testing, if necessary. Teachers and students at Cumilla University had also raised questions on the matter. After receiving a copy of the chargesheet, the family plans to consult a lawyer and consider further legal action.

Additional Superintendent of Police Md. Lutfur Rahman said last night that the chargesheet had been submitted to the court within the deadline set by the superintendent of police. The accused were arrested within 24 hours of the recovery of the body, and the investigation was completed with due diligence, leading to the submission of the charge sheet within 31 days, he said.

However, because of the government holidays for Durga Puja, further court proceedings did not begin immediately after the chargesheet was filed. According to police sources, although the charge sheet was submitted on 20 October, court proceedings are expected to resume on Sunday after the holidays.

Apratim went missing on 18 September after leaving his home in the Gandhamati area of Kotbari, Cumilla city. He was a seventh-grade student at Border Guard Public School in Kotbari. The following day, 19 September, police recovered his body from an isolated wooded area in the Lalmai Hills in Sananda village, under Bijoypur union of Sadar South upazila.

According to police, Apratim was deliberately taken to the secluded woodland with the intention of snatching the iPhone he had with him. When he resisted the attempt to take his mobile phone, he was struck on the head with a bamboo stick. He died as a result.

During the investigation, police initially arrested three people, including Tuhin, the principal accused. Later, police said they had found evidence of Siam’s involvement in the crime and arrested him as well. Police had stated that, based on information provided by Tuhin, Apratim’s iPhone was recovered from beneath the mattress on a bed at Tuhin’s home.

After Apratim went missing, police reviewed CCTV footage from various locations and said they had identified Tuhin. According to police, questioning him led to information about the involvement of others in the murder.