Girl beheaded in Pallabi: Suspect arrested over rape, murder

Police have arrested the main suspect in the murder of seven-year-old Ramisa Akter, whose beheaded body was recovered from a residential building in Dhaka’s Pallabi area on Tuesday.

Investigators suspect the child was sexually assaulted before being killed.

The accused, Sohel Rana, 34, was arrested from Fatullah on Tuesday evening, according to police officials.

Earlier in the day, police recovered Ramisa’s body from a third-floor apartment in Pallabi under Mirpur-11, Section B. Officers said the child had been beheaded after the killing. Her severed head was found inside a bucket in the bathroom, while the rest of the body was recovered from beneath a bed.

The victim was identified as Ramisa Akter, daughter of Abdul Hannan Molla and Parveen Akter. She was a second-grade student at a local school and the younger of two sisters. Her father works at a recruiting agency, while her elder sister studies in the ninth grade.

Family members said she went missing on Tuesday morning, prompting relatives to search the building.

At one point, they entered the room of the suspect, a tenant in the same building, and discovered the child’s body.

Pallabi Police Station officer-in-charge, Hasan Bashir, said preliminary findings indicate the child may have been raped before the killing.

Police said Sohel Rana, a rickshaw mechanic by profession, had moved into the apartment with his wife around two months ago. Following the incident, he allegedly escaped by breaking through the bathroom grill. His wife, Swapna, was detained at the scene for questioning.

Deputy Commissioner Mostak Sarkar said the suspect had not yet been fully interrogated and more details would emerge after questioning.

Investigators believe the murder took place between 10:30 am and 11:00 am. The body was recovered shortly after police received an emergency call through the national 999 hotline.

Police said blood-stained evidence recovered from the suspect’s room helped identify him as the prime suspect. The investigation is continuing.