A family already struggling with serious health problems has been left devastated after their 13-year-old child, who had a speech disability, was allegedly murdered in Dhaka’s Demra area. His mother is paralysed following a stroke, while his father is receiving treatment in hospital. After the child went missing, relatives searched extensively and put up missing-person posters across the neighbourhood. Their efforts ended in tragedy when police recovered his partially decomposed body from a bush three days later.
Police recovered the body at around 7.30pm on Tuesday, 10 November, from a bush behind the sand field near Bottle Market in the Naraibagh area of Demra. A 19-year-old man, identified as Arif Hossain, has been arrested in connection with the killing.
According to the police, the child was allegedly subjected to sexual assault. When he cried out, Arif reportedly covered his mouth and eventually strangled him to death before leaving his body in the bush. The allegations emerged during the initial investigation and questioning of the suspect. The precise cause of death is yet to be established through a post-mortem examination.
The victim’s elder brother has filed a murder case with Demra Police Station. Officer-in-Charge Taifur Rahman confirmed the development.
According to the police and the case statement, the child went missing on 7 November. His family members searched several places but failed to locate him. As their concern grew, they printed missing-person posters and put them up on walls throughout the surrounding area. On 8 November, they filed a General Diary (GD) with Demra Police Station to report his disappearance.
Family members had reportedly suspected Arif from the beginning of the search. As part of the investigation, police examined CCTV footage collected from different locations in the neighbourhood. The case statement alleges that the footage showed Arif taking the child towards a bush behind a bottle factory.
When questioned, Arif allegedly provided inconsistent and misleading information, raising further suspicions about his involvement. Police subsequently intensified their investigation.
The discovery of the body came after a group of children went to retrieve a football from the bush. At around 4pm on Tuesday, several children were playing at the sand field when their ball went into the nearby vegetation. While searching for it, they came across the child’s body. Their cries alerted local residents, who rushed to the scene and informed the police.
Officers arrived shortly afterwards and recovered the remains. The body was later sent to the mortuary at Dhaka Medical College following the necessary legal procedures.
OC Taifur Rahman said the recovery took place while police were investigating the GD filed over the child’s disappearance. Arif was arrested following the discovery, and police said he had admitted to the killing during questioning.
The officer said preliminary information suggested that the suspect had allegedly attempted to sexually assault the child. When the boy began screaming, Arif reportedly pressed his hand over the child’s mouth and strangled him. However, investigators are awaiting the post-mortem report to establish the precise cause of death and obtain further forensic evidence.
On Wednesday, 11 November, the investigation officer produced Arif before a court and applied for his confessional statement to be formally recorded. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Hasibuzzaman recorded the statement and subsequently ordered that the accused be sent to jail.
The investigation is continuing, with the post-mortem findings expected to help establish the circumstances surrounding the child’s death. The case has also drawn attention to the family’s tragic circumstances: while the mother remains paralysed following a stroke and the father is hospitalised, the family has now lost their young child in a killing that has left relatives and local residents shocked.
