Apratim murder: iPhone recovered from teenager detained based on CCTV footage
The iPhone taken from Ishayat Shahriar Apratim, 13, the only son of Nahida Begum, an associate professor in the Department of Bangla at Comilla University, after his murder has been recovered.
A team of Cumilla district police recovered the phone during a raid on a teenager’s home in the Salmanpur area, adjacent to Comilla University, at around 8:00 pm on Saturday. The teenager had been detained based on CCTV footage after Apratim went missing.
An official of the district police, speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, confirmed the matter at around midnight on Saturday. He said the mystery surrounding the murder had already been solved.
A press conference will be held at the district superintendent of police’s office at 12:00 pm on Sunday to provide details of the entire incident, added the official.
The recovery of the iPhone was also confirmed through a conversation with a senior official of a law enforcement agency working in Cumilla, in addition to the district police.
The official said members of the district detective police had recovered the iPhone from the home of the teenager seen with Apratim in CCTV footage.
Apratim had left home carrying his mother’s iPhone and subsequently went missing.
According to officials involved in the investigation, initial information and evidence have made it largely clear that Apratim may have been killed for the iPhone. However, police have not yet officially provided details about the motive for the murder.
District police media officer and Additional Superintendent of Police Md Lutfor Rahman told Prothom Alo on Saturday night, “We will present the details of the entire incident at the press conference at 12:00 pm on Sunday. We request everyone to wait until then.”
CCTV footage reviewed after Apratim went missing
According to district police sources, the proctorial team of Comilla University had been reviewing CCTV footage from areas adjacent to the university after Apratim went missing. In one recording, a teenager was seen with Apratim near the university’s main gate.
The teenager appeared to be older than Apratim and was wearing a cap. The university authorities became suspicious after observing his movements with Apratim in the footage. Another CCTV camera at a house near the scene also captured the teenager taking Apratim away.
The university authorities later tried to confirm the teenager’s identity by speaking to local residents. Members of the university’s proctorial team also visited the teenager’s home before Apratim’s body was recovered.
After the matter was reported to law enforcement agencies, Detective Branch (DB) police detained the teenager from the Kotbari area on Saturday afternoon, following the recovery of Apratim’s body. After questioning him, police conducted raids at various locations based on information he provided.
As part of these operations, police raided his home in the Salmanpur area at around 8:00 pm on Saturday and recovered the iPhone belonging to Apratim’s mother.