Apratim murder: chargesheet filed in 31 days naming four accused, two of them juveniles; family demands the maximum punishment
Police have filed a chargesheet in court over the murder of Ishayat Shahriar, known as Apratim (13), the son of Nahida Begum, an associate professor in the Bangla department of Comilla University. Submitted 31 days after the recovery of the body, the chargesheet names four accused, including two juveniles. The family is now waiting for the trial to begin, with a single expectation — a swift trial and the maximum punishment for the killers.
Additional Superintendent of Police Lutfar Rahman, the district police media officer, confirmed the filing at around 12:30am on Thursday night (October 22). He said the chargesheet was submitted on October 20 against the four accused, including the two juveniles, and that the investigation found preliminary evidence of offences against all four.
Those named are Saiful Islam, known as Tuhin (19), and Md Siyam (19), along with two juveniles aged 15 and 16. They are charged under sections 302, 201 and 34 of the Penal Code. In line with the Children Act, the two juveniles are identified as children in the chargesheet. The case was investigated by Inspector (Investigation) Rajib Ahmed of Cumilla Sadar Dakshin Model Police Station, the second investigating officer in the case.
According to police, Tuhin is the main planner and principal accused, and Siyam was involved in the planning with him. Three of the accused are alleged to have taken direct part in the killing, while Siyam is accused of assisting.
Police say Tuhin and the two juveniles have given confessional statements in court. Siyam faces allegations of assisting the murder and being part of the plan. The full details of the chargesheet, however, are not yet clear to Apratim's family.
The family has questioned the stated ages of the two juveniles from the very beginning and had demanded DNA testing if necessary to establish their real ages; teachers and students of Comilla University had also raised the question. After receiving a copy of the chargesheet, the family plans to consult a lawyer about the next legal steps.
The plaintiff, Apratim's father K M Firoz Shahriar, said he had called the investigating officer three days earlier to ask when the chargesheet would be filed and was told it would come right after the Puja holidays; at about 12:30am the officer phoned to confirm it had been submitted. Saying all their dreams of living revolved around their son, he said they want a swift trial and the maximum punishment — that is now their only demand.
The case began on September 18, when Apratim went missing after leaving his home in the Gandhamati area of Kotbari in Comilla city. He was a class seven student at Border Guard Public School in Kotbari. The next day, September 19, police recovered his body from a secluded forest on Lalmai hill in Sananda village of Bijoypur union in Sadar Dakshin upazila.
According to police, he was lured to the secluded forest in a planned attempt to snatch the iPhone he was carrying. When he resisted the snatching, he was struck on the head with a bamboo stick, and that blow killed him.
Police first arrested three people, including principal accused Tuhin. Siyam was arrested later after the investigation indicated his involvement. Based on information from Tuhin, Apratim's iPhone was recovered from beneath the mattress of a bed at Tuhin's home. Police say Tuhin was identified by reviewing CCTV footage from various locations after the disappearance.
Additional SP Lutfar Rahman said the chargesheet was filed within the deadline set by the superintendent of police: the accused were arrested within 24 hours of the body's recovery, and the investigation was completed with due importance within 31 days.
Court proceedings, however, have not started immediately because of the government holidays for Sharadiya Durga Puja. Police sources say court activity is expected to resume on Sunday after the holidays — and with it, the trial journey of this brutal murder, on which a grieving family has pinned all its hopes.
