According to police and local sources, the suspect, identified as Saiful Islam, lured the young child to his premises at approximately 4:30 pm. Local residents quickly noticed suspicious activity and intervened, forcing Saiful to flee the scene. Enraged by the incident, an angry crowd gathered, ransacked the suspect’s residence, and vandalised his tea shop before setting the stall on fire.

Officer-in-Charge of Ataikula Police Station, Mojibor Rahman, confirmed that emergency police units were dispatched immediately upon receiving reports of the assault attempt and subsequent mob violence. Officers deployed to the area managed to disperse the crowd, extinguish the blaze, and secure the neighbourhood. The situation has since returned to normal, though police personnel remain stationed at the location to prevent further unrest.

Officer Mojibor Rahman added that Saiful Islam was apprehended shortly after the incident during a targeted police operation. The victim’s father is currently filing a formal written complaint at the police station, and legal proceedings against the suspect are under way under the relevant sections of the law.

The incident occurred against a backdrop of heightened public sensitivity and tension across Pabna district following a recent murder case. On 9 September, a ten-year-old primary school pupil named Kamrunnahar Koli was lured away, sexually assaulted, and murdered by a local grocer, Mostafa, in Kulnia village under Dogachi Union. Koli’s body was recovered from a nearby ditch on 16 September.

Although police arrested Mostafa and his tenant Yasin in connection with the murder, widespread community anger led to repeated attacks on the suspect’s two-storey house over several days. Saturday’s attempt in Ataikula has reignited local anxieties regarding child safety, prompting police to appeal for calm while investigations continue.