A new development has emerged in the decade-old murder case of Cumilla Victory College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu, as DNA tests on her clothing have revealed the presence of a fourth male.
Investigators from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) said analysis detected DNA from four males, including sperm samples from three men and blood traces from an unidentified individual.
Inspector Tariqul Islam, the investigating officer, confirmed the findings on Sunday night. He said the information was received from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) about a month ago in response to an official request. Efforts are now underway to match the DNA evidence with potential suspects as the high-profile probe continues.
Earlier, on 21 April 2026, the PBI arrested Hafizur Rahman, a former senior warrant officer of the Bangladesh Army, in Dhaka in connection with the murder. DNA samples from Hafizur Rahman are being compared with evidence recovered from Tonu’s clothing, though results were not yet available as of Monday.
Tonu, a second-year history student at Victoria College, went missing on 20 March 2016 after leaving for private tuition inside Cumilla Cantonment. Her body was later recovered from a nearby forest, prompting her father Yar Hossain to file a murder case at Cumilla Kotwali Model Police Station.
Since then, the investigation has passed through multiple agencies, from local police to the Detective Branch, then the CID, and finally the PBI, yet no significant breakthrough has been achieved.
Family members have repeatedly alleged a lack of transparency, claiming earlier DNA tests were conducted but their results were never disclosed. Inspector Tariqul Islam is the sixth officer to lead the investigation.
