Opratim laid to rest, 4 arrested

 
CUMILLA, Sep 20: The father of Cumilla 7-grade schoolboy Ishiat Shahriar Opratim has appealed to others not to suffer the pain of losing a child as he has.

“Now I understand how painful it is for a father to carry his child’s body on his shoulders. I hope no one else has to lose a child like I have,” KM Firoz Shahriar said before the janaza of his only son at Gandhamati Eidgah ground in Cumilla’s Kotbari on Sunday.

The grieving father said his son came to the area when he was two years old and grew up there.

“My wife is a university teacher. Opratim grew up among you. He received your love and affection and ate in your homes. That is why I am burying Opratim here among you,” he said.

At an earlier janaza at Cumilla University’s central field, Firoz said his son had grown up under Cumilla’s sky and in the love and affection of its people.

In a tearful voice, he said, "He was 13 years old. As his father, I apologise to you. If you found any fault in his behaviour, please forgive him. Pray for him so that he may enter heaven."

Opratim was buried at Gandhamati graveyard in Kotbari of Cumilla Sadar Dakshin upazila around 11:30am on Sunday.

Opratim, the only son of Cumilla University teacher Dr Nahida Begum and K M Firoz Shahriar, left home on Friday afternoon after telling his mother that he was going out to take photographs with her iPhone. He had been missing since then.

His body was later recovered from a secluded forest in the Lalmai hills in Sananda village of Bijoypur union under Cumilla Sadar Dakshin upazila on Saturday afternoon.

At a press conference on Sunday, Cumilla Superintendent of Police Md Anisuzzaman said that police had uncovered the motive behind the killing. Opratim was killed primarily to snatch his iPhone.

The arrested individuals are - Saiful Islam Tuhin, 19, son of Nure Alam from the Sananda area of Sadar South; Mozammel Hossain Fahad, 15, son of Momin Hossain from the Salmanpur area; Kamrul Hasan, 15, son of Md Abdul Kuddus from the Hatigara area of Sadar Upazila; and Md Siam, son of Selim Miah from the Elahipur area of Sadar South. 

Later in the day, the accused gave confessional statement before the court.

The SP said they had confessed to their involvement.

According to law enforcement and local sources, Tuhin, the prime accused, had previously faced allegations of involvement in a teen gang, drugs and theft, and was associated with local miscreants and criminal groups.

The SP said in a briefing that CCTV footage from the scene and surrounding areas showed that Tuhin took Opratim to the secluded, hill-surrounded forest in Sananda between around 2pm and 2:15pm on September 18. After Opratim's body was recovered, police reviewed the footage and took Tuhin into custody.

During interrogation, Tuhin confessed that he had planned to take Opratim to the area to snatch his iPhone. Based on his information, police detained Fahad, who said his friend Kamrul was also involved. Kamrul was subsequently taken into custody.

Police initially conducted raids at three locations based on Tuhin's information but failed to find the phone. It was eventually recovered from beneath a mattress at his home.

According to the preliminary investigation, the SP said, between 5pm and 6pm on September 18, Opratim resisted when the suspects tried to snatch his iPhone in the Sananda area. At that point, Tuhin-followed by Fahad and Kamrul-struck Opratim repeatedly on the head with sturdy bamboo sticks. Once Opratim's death was confirmed, Tuhin took his iPhone and fled the scene with Fahad and Kamrul.

Siam has also been detained, while Tuhin, Fahad and Kamrul have been arrested in the murder case. The arrested individuals used to make TikTok videos. Police are investigating whether anyone else was involved. The SP said a charge sheet would be submitted to the court soon.