Police have claimed to have solved the mystery behind the murder of Ishayat Shahriar alias Apratim (13), the only son of Cumilla University's Bangla Department Associate Professor Nahida Begum.
According to the police, Apratim was deliberately taken to a secluded jungle in Sananda of the Lalmai hills with the intention of snatching his mother’s iPhone.
When he resisted the attempt to take the phone, he was struck on the head with a bamboo stick. After confirming his death, three people took the phone and left the scene.
Police have arrested three people, including two teenagers, in connection with this incident. They are Saiful Islam alias Tuhin (19) from the Sananda area near Comilla University, a 15-year-old from the Salmanpur area and another 16-year-old from the Hatigara area of Cumilla Adarsha Sadar upazila. The three arrested individuals have no prior police record (PCPR). Additionally, another 19-year-old boy has been detained and his involvement is being verified, police stated.
Cumilla Superintendent of Police Md. Anisuzzaman shared this information at a press conference at his office this Sunday afternoon. Senior police officials, including Additional Superintendent of Police Lutfor Rahman and Pankaj Barua were present at the time.
The Superintendent of Police said that the investigation began based on the general diary (GD) filed regarding Apratim's disappearance. Reviewing CCTV footage from the scene and surrounding areas, the police saw that on 18 September (Friday) at approximately 3:15 PM, Tuhin (Saiful) was heading toward the secluded jungle in the Sananda area of the Lalmai hills with Apratim.
Later, after Apratim's body was recovered, Saiful, who was seen with Apratim in the CCTV footage, was taken into custody.
According to the police, during interrogation, Saiful revealed that Apratim had been deliberately taken to that location with the intention of snatching his mobile phone. Based on the information he provided, the police found information regarding the involvement of those two teenagers.
Police stated that following the information given and the location shown by Saiful, a raid was conducted at his house and the iPhone used by Apratim was recovered. Earlier on Saturday night, the district police had reported recovering the phone from a house in the Salmanpur area.
Police's description of the incident
According to the information provided by the police, attempts were made to snatch Apratim's phone in the secluded, hill-surrounded jungle of the Sananda area between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM on 18 September.
When Apratim resisted, a clash broke out among them. First Saiful and later those two teenagers struck Apratim on the head with a stick. When he died at one point, Saiful took Apratim's phone and the three left the scene. However, these details were presented at the police press conference as preliminary information obtained during the interrogation of the accused. The full investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
Tracing Saiful from CCTV footage
Since Apratim went missing, teachers and officials of Comilla University, along with law enforcement agencies started working to rescue him.
Various CCTV footage from the university-adjacent areas and Kotbari were reviewed. In one footage, a teenager was seen alongside Apratim near the university's main gate. Later, in another CCTV footage from nearby, that teenager was seen taking Apratim with him. Attempts were made to confirm his identity by speaking with local people.
On Saturday afternoon, police recovered Apratim's body from a secluded jungle in the Lalmai hills of Sananda village under Bijoypur union in Cumilla's Sadar Dakshin upazila. Police and local sources reported that there were injury marks on his head. An autopsy was later conducted on the body.
Questions over teen gang involvement
At the press conference, questions were also raised regarding the involvement of teenage gangs in Apratim's murder. Superintendent of Police Md. Anisuzzaman said that so far, over 250 teen gang members have been arrested in Cumilla. It is being investigated whether those arrested in the Apratim murder are involved with teen gangs.
Journalists also raised questions regarding allegations of drug users, teenage gangs and local groups exerting influence on the university campus and surrounding areas. At the same time, questions were raised regarding the role of the police following Apratim's disappearance and a few recent criminal incidents in the Lalmai hills.
The Superintendent of Police stated that these matters will be investigated. He said that the Lalmai hills have not gone beyond the control of law enforcement agencies. Police are working to prevent crime.
The Superintendent of Police urged parents to be more vigilant. He said that parents must keep track of when and where their children are going, who they are mixing with and when they are returning home.
He also advised parents to be careful, especially when giving phones and various devices to young children.
Apratim went missing after leaving his rented house in the Gondhomoti area of Cumilla's Kotbari on Friday afternoon. He was a seventh-grade student at the Border Guard Public School in Cumilla.
He had left home carrying his mother's iPhone to take photos with friends. He did not return home afterward. Relatives began searching and informed the university authorities and law enforcement agencies about the matter.