A rape case has been filed against Riaz Uddin Raju, the alleged partner detained in connection with the Jannatul Tazmin murder case in Cumilla, following a directive from a Cox’s Bazar court.
The case was registered at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Police Station after allegations that Raju lured Tazmin to the coastal city and raped her were brought before the court.
Cox’s Bazar District Police Focal Point and Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Md Ohidur Rahman confirmed the development on Thursday night.
According to court and police sources, a lawyer presented the allegations before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Md Irfanul Huq Chowdhury at the Cox’s Bazar Sadar Magistrate Court, detailing how Raju brought Tazmin to Cox’s Bazar under false pretenses and raped her. The lawyer also drew the court’s attention to Tazmin’s age during the hearing.
Following the submission, the magistrate instructed police to record a rape case against the accused. Subsequently, a police officer filed the case as the plaintiff.
“When the allegations of bringing Tazmin to Cox’s Bazar and subjecting her to rape were presented in court, the court ordered a case to be recorded. The case was officially registered in accordance with that order,” ASP Ohidur Rahman said.
Police sources said Raju and Tazmin became acquainted and developed a relationship through the social media platform Instagram.
On the morning of 6 September, Tazmin arrived in Cox’s Bazar and checked into a residential hotel in the city’s Kalatali area alongside Raju, identifying themselves as husband and wife. The following afternoon (7 September), Tazmin left Cox’s Bazar alone on a bus bound for Cumilla, where she was murdered after reaching her destination.
As part of the murder investigation, police detained Raju from the hotel-motel zone in Kalatali at around 9pm last Sunday. At around 12pm on Monday, a team from Cumilla Police arrived at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Police Station and took Raju into custody for interrogation before producing him before a Cox’s Bazar court.
Police officials noted that the filing of the rape case alongside the existing murder charges significantly broadens the legal proceedings against Raju.
However, judicial proceedings regarding the rape allegations remain pending, and the accused cannot be held guilty until the charges are proven in court.
