Investigators have collected DNA samples from former Army officer Hafizur Rahman for testing, a decade after the rape and murder of Sohagi Jahan Tonu, a student and theatre activist of Comilla Victoria Government College.
Inspector Tarikul Islam of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), who is leading the investigation, confirmed the development on Thursday evening.
"The DNA samples have been collected and sent for testing. Besides, the suspect is currently being interrogated in custody," Inspector Tarikul said.
Hafizur was arrested on Wednesday, marking the first arrest in the decade-long investigation into the killing.
Hafizur, a former senior warrant officer, was put on a three-day remand after arrest.
He was on duty at the Cumilla Cantonment at the time of Tonu's murder, authorities said. Court sources revealed that a letter was recently sent to the PBI seeking an update on the progress of the case.
In response, the investigating officer appeared before the court on Apr 6, seeking permission to cross-match the DNA samples of a retired sergeant known only as Zahid, Hafizur, and soldier Shahinul Alam.
The judge granted the request.
The case has passed 80 scheduled court dates and has been handled by seven investigating officers across four different agencies.
On the evening of Mar 20, 2016, Tonu's body was discovered in a forested part near the power house in Cumilla Cantonment.
The following day, her father Yaar Hossain filed a murder case against unidentified individuals at the Cumilla Kotwali Model Police Station.
Initially, the local police and the district Detective Branch (DB) investigated the case, followed by a lengthy investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
On Oct 21, 2020, following orders from Police Headquarters, the CID handed over the case files to the PBI's Headquarters in Dhaka.
Inspector Md Mujibur Rahman of the PBI investigated the case for nearly four years.
In September 2024, Inspector Tarikul was appointed as the investigating officer for the case. "bdnews24
