Schoolgirl stabbed dead, suspect held

 
Police have revealed that the 14-year-old schoolgirl killed in Dhaka's Rayerbazar on Wednesday night was lured out of her home over a phone call by the suspect.

CCTV footage from the scene shows the victim, Shahriar Sharmin Binti, walking and talking with the suspect, identified only as Siam, shortly before the attack.

Siam, the sole suspect in the case, was arrested Thursday morning from a house in Kalabagan.

Police recovered the knife used in the murder, along with blood-stained clothes worn by him.

At a press briefing, Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of the DMP's Ramna Division, said Siam claimed to have been in a four-year romantic relationship with Binti. 

"He alleged they had a disagreement and suspected she was romantically involved with someone else. Armed with a knife, he called her out, and as the argument intensified over their relationship, he stabbed her repeatedly from behind," Masud said.

The victim's mother identified Siam as a long-time harasser who had been stalking her daughter for several years. While a confirmed romantic relationship remains unverified, police noted the two were apparently in communication. "If he had been merely harassing her, she likely wouldn't have come out at night. They were seen talking and walking together," Masud added.

Binti, a ninth-grade student, was attacked around 9pm outside her residence. Witnesses reported that Siam lingered briefly at the scene after the stabbing before fleeing on a motorcycle.