In a major breakthrough after a decade-long wait, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has made the first arrest in the sensational Sohagi Jahan Tonu murder case. Senior Warrant Officer Hafizur Rahman was arrested as a suspect and placed on a three-day remand on Wednesday.
The investigating officer from PBI Dhaka, Tarikul Islam, arrested Hafizur Rahman from his residence and produced him before the Cumilla Sadar Cognizance Court 1 on Wednesday afternoon.
Upon the PBI’s application, the judge of the Senior Judicial Magistrate Court granted the three-day remand.
According to court sources, the case has seen 80 hearing dates pass without a resolution. Over the last ten years, seven investigating officers from four different agencies have handled the proceedings.
This marks the first time anyone has been shown arrested in connection with the murder.
The investigation reached a turning point when the seventh investigating officer, PBI Inspector Md. Tarikul Islam, sought permission on 6 April to cross-match the DNA profiles of three suspects with the evidence found on the victim.
The suspects identified for testing were Sergeant Zahid, Warrant Officer Hafizur Rahman (now arrested), and Soldier Shahinul Alam (also referred to as Jahangir Alam in the application). The investigation is currently anchored on the semen or DNA profiles of three men discovered by the CID Forensic Lab on Tonu’s clothing.
Sohagi Jahan Tonu, a student at Victoria Government College, was found dead on the night of 20 March 2016, in a forest near the power house at Cumilla Mainamati Cantonment.
Her father filed a case against unidentified individuals the following day. While the local police, the Detective Branch (DB), and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) previously failed to solve the case, the PBI assumed responsibility for the investigation in 2020.
Notably, two separate autopsies failed to confirm the actual cause of her death.
On Wednesday, Tonu’s father, Yar Ahmed, her mother, and her younger brother, Rubel Hossain, appeared at the Cumilla court at approximately 5pm. Overcome with emotion, Yar Ahmed once again appealed to the Prime Minister for a fair trial for his daughter’s murder.
Cumilla Court Inspector Mamunur Rashid stated that this legal action followed the progress of DNA testing and the application by the investigating officer. After ten years of perceived impunity, this arrest has reportedly restored hope for justice among Tonu’s family and the public.
