Police in Cumilla are investigating the death of a 14-year-old schoolgirl whose body was recovered from a paddy field in Jagatpur, Lalmai upazila, amid evidence of possible struggles across several nearby fields. Investigators believe she may have tried to escape before her death, although the circumstances remain unclear.
The body of Jannatul Tazmin was recovered on the morning of Thursday, 8 October, from a field beside a quiet paved road near the Cumilla–Noakhali regional highway. A gamcha, a traditional cotton towel, had been wrapped around her neck. Police suspect she was strangled, but the precise cause of death and whether she suffered any other form of abuse will be determined through a post-mortem examination.
Tazmin was a Year Seven pupil at Farida Bidyayatan in Cumilla city. Her father, Abdul Alim, works for pharmaceutical manufacturer Renata in the Cumilla region. Although the family originally comes from Chhatiantala village in Churamankati Union, Jashore Sadar, they lived in a rented home in the Racecourse area of Cumilla because of her father’s employment.
Signs of a struggle across several fields
Local residents became suspicious after discovering a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw overturned beside the isolated road early on Thursday. A vanity bag was lying around 20–30 yards from the vehicle, while rice plants in four or five nearby paddy fields appeared flattened, twisted and scattered.
Following the apparent trail, residents found the girl’s body lying face down in the mud. They immediately contacted Bangladesh’s national emergency service, 999, and police arrived to recover the body and seize the vehicle.
The disturbed vegetation across several fields has become a significant aspect of the investigation. It has raised the possibility that a struggle or pursuit took place before Tazmin died. However, the marks alone do not establish exactly what happened or whether she was chased by an assailant.
Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police Mostain Billah, responsible for the Sadar South Circle in Cumilla, said there were no major visible external injuries on the girl’s body. The towel around her neck led investigators to suspect strangulation.
The post-mortem report is expected to provide further information about the cause of death and whether there are indications of additional violence. Police are also examining evidence recovered from the scene to establish the sequence of events.
CCTV footage offers clues to her final movements
Investigators are examining CCTV footage from the Padua Bazar area in an effort to trace Tazmin’s movements before her death.
The footage reportedly shows her getting off an Iconic Paribahan bus in front of Noorjahan Hotel at around 11.45pm on Wednesday, 7 October. She then walks towards several stationery shops to the west of the hotel and speaks to a shopkeeper outside one of the premises.
In the footage, the shopkeeper appears to show her something or indicate a direction. At around midnight, Tazmin moves away from the shopfront and heads towards another side of the area. She is subsequently seen leaving the vicinity of Noorjahan Hotel at approximately 12.15am.
Police have not yet located CCTV footage showing where she went after leaving the area. Investigators are attempting to reconstruct her route and establish how she travelled from Padua Bazar to Jagatpur, where her body was found several hours later.
The footage may help establish her last known movements, but it has not, by itself, revealed who she met after leaving the hotel area or whether she was accompanied by anyone.
Seized auto-rickshaw under scrutiny
The discovery of the overturned CNG-powered auto-rickshaw near the body has prompted police to examine whether it was connected to Tazmin’s journey.
Investigators are checking whether she boarded an auto-rickshaw after getting off the bus at Noorjahan Hotel and whether the vehicle recovered from the scene was involved in transporting her.
Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police Billah said the vehicle was registered and that investigators were pursuing leads arising from its registration details. Several police teams are working to identify anyone who may have been involved.
However, police have not confirmed any direct connection between the seized auto-rickshaw and Tazmin. Its presence at the scene remains a line of inquiry rather than proof of involvement in the crime.
Investigators are also seeking to establish whether the vehicle had been used earlier in the night, who was driving it and how it came to be overturned near the paddy field. Any conclusions will depend on the evidence gathered during the investigation.
Family had been worried after she failed to answer calls
According to family members, Tazmin had left home four days earlier to visit a female friend. She later travelled to Cox’s Bazar with the friend and was returning to Cumilla on Wednesday night.
Her father, Abdul Alim, reportedly called her mobile phone several times that night but received no answer. The unanswered calls caused concern among family members, who were subsequently confronted with the news of her death.
Police inquiries have also produced information indicating that Tazmin had travelled to Brahmanbaria and Cox’s Bazar. However, investigators have yet to establish conclusively who accompanied her during those journeys or whether the trips were connected to the circumstances surrounding her death.
Police are examining her recent movements, the timing of her return journey and her last known contact with her family. They are also trying to establish whether she met anyone after getting off the bus at Padua Bazar.
The key questions remain unanswered: why she left the hotel area, how she reached the isolated field in Jagatpur and what happened between the time she was last seen on CCTV and the discovery of her body.
Teacher remembers a lively student
Tazmin’s teacher, Sad Bin Ershad, said he had taught her for a considerable period and remembered her as an energetic and lively pupil.
He said her mother was somewhat unwell and that Tazmin helped care for her two twin brothers. Her father worked for a pharmaceutical company and generally left home in the morning, returning at night.
According to the teacher, her father was very affectionate towards her. He also recalled that Tazmin would sometimes leave home suddenly when upset or angry.
Ershad called for a thorough investigation and said those responsible should be identified and punished. His recollections provide some background to the girl’s family circumstances, but police have not established any connection between these circumstances and her death.
Police promise a thorough investigation
Lalmai Police Station officer-in-charge Mizanur Rahman said the exact cause of death had not yet been established and that several police units were investigating the case.
Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police Billah reiterated that officers had recovered the body after receiving information from local residents and had seized the registered auto-rickshaw found nearby. He said investigators were following leads from the vehicle and examining other evidence to uncover what happened.
Cumilla Superintendent of Police Anisuzzaman also said police were working to reconstruct the events from beginning to end and expressed hope that the investigation would reveal the truth.
For now, the post-mortem findings, CCTV footage, vehicle records and accounts from people who may have encountered Tazmin during her final journey are expected to be central to the inquiry.
The signs of disturbance in the paddy fields have raised questions about whether she attempted to flee, but the circumstances of her death remain unconfirmed. Police have yet to publicly identify a suspect or establish a motive.
Tazmin’s death has left her family, teachers and those who knew her seeking answers. The immediate priority for investigators is to determine how she died, trace her movements during the final hours of her life and establish whether anyone was responsible.
