Man Arrested As Police Solve Missing Autorickshaw Driver Murder

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has successfully solved the murder case of a 16-year-old autorickshaw driver in Manikganj. A 34-year-old man, identified as Asaduzzaman, has been arrested in connection with the crime. According to the investigative agency, the suspect has already confessed to his direct involvement in the brutal killing during initial interrogations.

The breakthrough was officially announced by the Manikganj unit of the PBI during a press briefing at around 11:00 am on Thursday, 9 July.

The victim, Sabikul Islam, went missing on 30 June after leaving his home to operate his commercial three-wheeler. His family grew anxious when he failed to return by nightfall, launching frantic searches across the locality. The following day, local police discovered his body abandoned inside a secluded jute field in the Manikganj Sadar Upazila. Following an inquest report and a detailed post-mortem examination, the body was handed over to the grieving family for burial. The nature of the crime triggered widespread shock and outrage across the district, prompting the PBI to initiate a parallel shadow investigation alongside local police.

Investigators scrutinised closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from surrounding areas, gathered physical evidence from the crime scene, and deployed advanced information technology to track suspect movements. This rigorous data analysis led detectives to identify Asaduzzaman as the prime suspect. Acting on a tip-off, a specialised PBI team conducted a raid on Wednesday evening, 8 July, apprehending him in the Hemayetpur neighbourhood of Savar.

Asaduzzaman, originally a resident of Gorai Nutanpara village in Manikganj Sadar Upazila, had been residing near the Hemayetpur Madrasa Gate area in Savar. He was employed as an assistant manager at a local residential hotel.

According to the PBI, the fatal encounter began on the afternoon of 30 June when Asaduzzaman boarded Sabikul’s autorickshaw as a passenger to travel back to his village. Whilst navigating a severely dilapidated and potholed rural road, the vehicle shuddered violently. This minor incident triggered an intense verbal altercation between the passenger and the young driver. The argument rapidly escalated into a physical scuffle, which spilled over into the roadside jute field.

In a fit of rage, Asaduzzaman brutally assaulted the teenager. He pinned the boy down, forcing his face into the mud while applying heavy pressure to his neck. Sabikul suffocated to death on the spot. Asaduzzaman then fled the area, abandoning the vehicle and the victim. Forensic experts and investigators estimate that the homicide occurred sometime between the afternoon of 30 June and the early hours of 1 July. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities finalise the legal procedures to prosecute the suspect.