Police have arrested five individuals in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a teenage girl in Narsingdi, an incident authorities say was carried out to cover up the assault.
A case has been filed against nine accused, while the main suspect remains on the run.
Dhaka Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Rezaul Karim Mallick visited the scene on Friday and later briefed reporters at Madhabdi Police Station.
According to police, the victim’s mother, Fahima Begum, lodged the case naming nine individuals.
The five arrested are former local member Ahmad Ali Dewan, his son Md Imran Dewan, Mohammad Aiyub; a cousin of the prime accused, and Ebadullah and Gaffar from Hossain Bazar area.
The DIG said two of those detained were directly involved in the rape, while the other three allegedly attempted to mediate and suppress the matter after the incident.
Law enforcement agencies are continuing operations to apprehend the remaining suspects, including the alleged ringleader, Nur Mohammad Nura.
“No offender will be spared,” the DIG said, expressing confidence that the fugitives would be brought to justice soon.
Khairul Kabir Khokon, Joint Secretary General of BNP and Member of Parliament for Narsingdi-1, also visited the scene.
He described the crime as “highly condemnable” and called for exemplary punishment to deter similar offences.
He added that no legal support should be extended to those involved and stressed zero tolerance for criminals, regardless of political affiliation.
Meanwhile, a four-member medical board conducted the autopsy of the victim at Narsingdi Sadar Hospital under the supervision of Resident Medical Officer Dr Farida Gulshanara Kabir. The body remains at the hospital morgue.
The victim’s mother said a decision has yet to be made regarding the burial.
She, along with the victim’s stepfather Ashraf Mia and brother Sifat, is currently at Madhabdi Police Station completing legal procedures.
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