A series of persistent incoming calls to a key suspect’s mobile phone has enabled police officers to untangle the motives behind the murder of Ishayat Shahriar Apratim, the 13-year-old only child of Dr Nahida Begum, an associate professor in the Bengali Department at Comilla University. Investigators now suspect that a fatal mixture of an iPhone dispute and a small unpaid monetary loan triggered the crime.
Dr Kamrun Nahat Sheila, an associate professor from the university’s Bengali department, revealed these crucial developments on Monday morning during a human chain protest organised by the Comilla University Teachers’ Association at the Shahid Abdul Kaiyum Chhatwar.
Police have arrested three suspects in connection with the murder case filed by the victim’s father, K M Firoz Shahriar. Among those detained is Saiful Islam, also known as Tuhin, whose initial interrogation provided vital breakthroughs for the investigation team.
Officers took Tuhin into custody at approximately 9:00 am on Saturday, at a time when law enforcement had not yet confirmed Apratim’s death. The boy’s body was discovered hours later around 11:30 am in a jungle within the Lalmai Hills near Sananda village, adjacent to the university campus. Apratim had been missing for roughly 22 hours after leaving his home on Friday afternoon.
Although Tuhin initially denied any involvement, prolonged questioning into Saturday evening led to his confession. However, he stubbornly refused to name his accomplices, claiming he was bound by a solemn promise to keep their identities secret.
During his interrogation, Tuhin’s mobile phone rang repeatedly. The caller was identified as a teenage boy employed at ‘Yestech’, an electronic components shop owned by the victim’s father. Spotting the repeated calls, police promptly detained the caller, who arrived wearing a branded shirt bearing the name of Shahriar’s business. Following further leads provided by Tuhin, a third suspect was subsequently taken into custody.
Interrogations revealed that the detained teenager had started working at Shahriar’s shop unpaid just ten days prior to the incident. Apratim had previously lent this teenager 5,000 taka, and growing friction had developed between the two over the repayment of the loan. Investigators suspect that the teenager grew resentful over the demands and calculated that Apratim’s death would erase the debt, while an interest in acquiring an iPhone further fueled the plot.
Speaking at the protest, Dr Sheila highlighted another grave dimension to the investigation. She stated that Dr Nahida Begum, during her tenure as an assistant proctor, had previously handed over several members of a local teenage gang to the police during anti-narcotics drives. The bereaved mother has urged law enforcement to thoroughly examine whether the murder of her son was an act of cold-blooded revenge connected to her past official actions.
Police investigations remain active as officers work to clarify all contributing factors, verify the suspect statements, and establish complete accountability for the killing.
