Police recovered an iPhone from the house of Tuhin, one of the suspects detained after the body of Ishayat Shahriar Apratim was found. Investigators and family members suspect that he was killed for the phone.
Inspector Mofiz Uddin Bhuiyan, in‑charge of Cumilla Kotbari Police Outpost, said police raided Tuhin’s house in the Sananda area of Lalmai Hill near Comilla University and seized the iPhone.
Police said that they will present the details of the incident at a press conference later in the day.
Apratim, a seventh‑grade student at Cumilla Border Guard Public School, went missing Friday afternoon. His body was found deep inside the Lalmai hills, where a farmer said jackals were pulling at it. His mother, Nahida Begum, is an associate professor in the Bangla department at Comilla University.
Police detained three suspects — Tuhin, Anas and Fahim — aged between 18 and 20. Tuhin was picked up around 3pm Saturday. CCTV footage showed him with others near the time Apratim went missing. Based on information from his interrogation, police later detained the other two.
Apratim was the only son of Nahida and businessman Firoz Shahriar. The killing of the 13‑year‑old has triggered an outpouring of grief in Cumilla and beyond.
His namaz‑e‑janaza was held on Sunday morning, and he will be buried beside the family home.
