A harrowing sequence of events involving online romance, false identities, and extreme violence culminated in the tragic death of 15-year-old schoolgirl Jannatul Tazmin. Investigation into her brutal murder in Comilla has laid bare the teenager’s final days, exposing a perilous journey that spanned from household disputes to a fatal encounter with an opportunistic predator.
The tragedy originated on 4 October following a domestic dispute over a wristwatch given to a friend, which prompted Tazmin to leave her family home in anger. She travelled first to a friend’s residence in Brahmanbaria before establishing contact with Riaz Uddin, known as Raju, an individual she had met through social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. Sources remain divided on the duration of their acquaintance, with estimates ranging from 17 days to five months. Raju, who has worked at a residential establishment in Cox’s Bazar for the past three years, facilitated her journey to the coastal city by transferring funds electronically via bKash.
Upon arriving in Cox’s Bazar, Tazmin checked into a three-storey hotel situated at the end of the road adjacent to Kutumbari in the Kalatoli area at 7:25 pm on 6 October. Surveillance footage and registration documents confirm that Raju rented Room 302 under the guise of a married couple, registering the minor under the fictitious name ‘Tanju Akhtar’ and misrepresenting her age as 18. Raju provided false details regarding his origin, citing Lama in Bandarban, alongside contact numbers and a National Identity credentials entry. The pair vacated the premises the following morning at approximately 11:00 am.
On the evening of 6 October, the duo visited the counter of Cox’s Panoramic Travel and Tour to secure transport for the following day. Tazmin boarded the Iconic Express bus service at midday on 7 October, arriving at the Poduar Bazar World Road intersection near Hotel Nurjahan in Comilla at approximately 11:45 pm. Seeking passage to her residence in the Racecourse area, she hired a CNG-driven auto-rickshaw operated by 35-year-old Mohammad Sumon Miah.
During the journey, Tazmin maintained telephone communication with Raju, even discussing the driver. However, at approximately 1:30 am, the live location sharing on her mobile device abruptly ceased. Police investigations revealed that Sumon diverted the vehicle away from her destination, taking her to a secluded location in Bhoral Jagatpur Uttarpara within Lalmai Upazila. There, he subjected the teenager to sexual assault before strangling her with a cloth wrap.
Law enforcement officers recovered Tazmin’s body from an embankment in a paddy field the following morning, 8 October. Subsequent police operations led to the arrest of Sumon in Chittagong and the recovery of the victim’s iPhone from a location identified by the suspect. Sumon has since provided a full judicial confession in court detailing the crime.
Reflecting on the loss, Tazmin’s mother, Keya Khatun, recalled her final conversation with her daughter on Thursday afternoon, during which the teenager offered vague assurances about staying at a friend’s house without disclosing her location. Her private tutor, Saad Bin Ershad, described Tazmin as spirited, noting a habit of fleeing home during moments of anger, though she regularly cared for her twin younger brothers during her mother’s illnesses.
Mijanur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Lalmai Police Station, confirmed that the perpetrator remains in custody following his confession. Authorities continue to examine call detail records and digital evidence extracted from the recovered phone to establish the complete chronology of events before final legal proceedings commence.
