Eight people have been arrested in connection with the brutal mob killing of three members of a family in Karaibari village under Muradnagar upazila of Cumilla, an incident that has sparked nationwide outrage.
According to police, the killings took place on Thursday morning when villagers attacked the family over allegations of drug dealing and mobile phone theft. The victims — Roksana Akhter Ruby, 58, her son Russel Mia, 35, and daughter Jonaki Akhter, 32 — were beaten to death at the scene. Another daughter, Ruma Akhter, 25, was critically injured and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka.
Confirming the arrests on Saturday, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) headquarters’ Media Wing Assistant Director Muttazul Islam said a team from RAB-11 had detained six individuals directly involved in the killings from Banasree area in Dhaka. They went into hiding after the incident.
Further information about the detainees will be informed later in the day, he added.
Mahfuzur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Bangra Bazar Police Station, said the arrests followed a murder case filed late Friday by Rikta Akhter, daughter of the deceased Roksana Akhter Ruby. The case names 38 individuals, including local Union Parishad Chairman Shimul Billah, along with 25 unidentified suspects.
Besides, two more individuals -Md Sabir Ahmed, 48, and Md Nazimuddin Babul, 56, both residents of Karaibari village, were apprehended in a joint forces operation led by the Bangladesh Army early Friday. They have since been handed over to the local police station, the OC said.
The arrestees were produced before the Cumilla court on Saturday.
Police said the shocking attack took place around 9.30am on July 3, when angry villagers stormed the victims’ home in retaliation for alleged involvement in drugs and theft.
After postmortem examinations on Friday, the bodies of the three victims were handed over to their family. However, when their bodies were brought back to the village, no one came forward to help bury them or perform funeral prayers.
Eventually, with the support of police, a few villagers helped to lay the victims to rest.
Authorities have pledged to continue the investigation and indicated that more arrests are likely in the coming days as efforts to identify all those involved in the violence continue.