Police have arrested a man in connection with the harrowing murder of five-year-old Tabassum, whose body was found stuffed inside a sack in Kaliganj Upazila of Jhenaidah.
The suspect, identified as Abu Taher, was apprehended in Kushtia following a coordinated police operation.
The grim discovery was made on Thursday morning when the child’s body was recovered from a septic tank at Abdul Jabbar Secondary School in Badurgacha village.
Authorities have confirmed that the victim had been raped and subsequently strangled to death.
On Friday afternoon, police escorted the suspect to the Chitra River near Singi Bazar where they recovered evidence including the child’s sandals and a lungi (traditional dress) used by the perpetrator during the crime.
Abu Taher, a sales representative for a cigarette company, lived near the victim’s rented home in Badedihi village. According to Additional Superintendent of Police Mahfuz Hossain of the Jhenaidah Sadar Circle, the suspect confessed to luring the child into an empty house by offering her chips and juice.
During initial interrogation, the suspect admitted to the sexual assault and the murder. He fled to his brother’s residence in Kushtia and confessed the crime to him. His brother, wishing for justice to be served, cooperated with the police to facilitate the arrest.
The victim’s father has officially filed a case at the local station regarding the incident.
The Officer-in-Charge of Kaliganj Police Station, Md Jellal Hossain, assured the public that a formal chargesheet will be submitted to the court swiftly following a detailed investigation.
The victim’s family, originally from Moheshpur, had been residing in the area due to her mother’s employment with a local NGO. The community remains in shock as the legal process begins.
