The Bangladesh Police have arrested the primary suspect in connection with the rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl in Hathazari, Chattogram. The suspect, identified as 19-year-old Mohammad Faisal, was apprehended on Wednesday night in the Nalakhi Union’s Tongpara area, located within the Raipura Upazila of Narsingdi District. The arrest concludes a three-month manhunt following the discovery of the victim’s body in March.
Incident Background and Discovery
According to official police records, the 11-year-old victim went missing on 24 March from her neighbourhood in Hathazari. Two days later, on 26 March, local residents noticed a foul odour emanating from a cotton warehouse adjacent to the child’s family residence. Upon investigating the source of the smell, residents discovered the victim’s body inside the facility.
Subsequent police investigations confirmed that the minor had been subjected to sexual assault before being murdered. The perpetrator subsequently concealed the body inside the commercial warehouse to evade detection.
Case Overview and Key Details
The critical facts regarding the victim, the suspect, and the chronological progression of the case have been compiled into the table below:
| Case Element | Details and Specifications |
| Victim | 11-year-old female |
| Primary Suspect | Mohammad Faisal (aged 19) |
| Suspect’s Background | Day labourer; native of Barishal |
| Date of Disappearance | 24 March |
| Discovery of Deceased | 26 March (inside a cotton warehouse) |
| Official Litigation Filed | 26 March at Hathazari Police Station |
| Arrest Location & Time | Tongpara, Raipura, Narsingdi; Wednesday night |
Investigation and CCTV Evidence
Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footage recovered from an adjacent building provided crucial evidence for the investigators. The video footage captured Faisal guiding the young girl into the cotton warehouse. A subsequent sequence showed Faisal exiting the premises alone; the victim never emerged from the building.
Based on this evidence, the victim’s mother filed a formal murder case at the Hathazari Police Station on 26 March, explicitly naming Faisal as the sole accused.
Arrest and Legal Proceedings
The Additional Deputy Superintendent of Police for Chattogram District (Hathazari Circle), Kazi Mohammad Tarek Aziz, confirmed that the breakthrough came following actionable intelligence regarding the suspect’s whereabouts. A police unit was dispatched to Narsingdi, leading to Faisal’s successful apprehension.
Following his arrest, Faisal was produced before a local court where he provided a formal confession. Under judicial interrogation, the suspect admitted his direct involvement in the assault and subsequent murder of the minor.
Socio-Economic Context
Enquiries into the backgrounds of those involved revealed that the victim belonged to an economically vulnerable family. Her father lives with a disability, whilst her mother is employed as a labourer in a local factory. The suspect, Faisal, a day labourer originally from Barishal, resided in the exact same residential colony as the victim’s family, which provided him with proximity to the child prior to the commission of the crime.
