Tazmin murder: suspected CNG driver arrested

Police have arrested a CNG driver suspected of involvement in the murder of Jannatul Tazmin, a 14-year-old seventh-grade student in Cumilla.

Detective police arrested him in Chattogram on Friday afternoon, October 9. Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) of Cumilla, Md. Lutfur Rahman confirmed.

The accused was identified as Suman resident of Kachua upazila in Chandpur district. 

According to police, Suman went into hiding after the incident. Investigators said the absence of a mobile phone or any digital device, along with the lack of a national identity card containing his fingerprints, made his arrest more challenging.

He was eventually traced and arrested in Chattogram based on intelligence gathered by police.

He is being brought to Cumilla for further questioning. Police said interrogation would help determine whether he was involved in the murder.

Tazmin's body was recovered from a paddy field in Jagatpur village of Lalmai upazila on Thursday morning, October 8. She was the daughter of Abdul Alim, originally from Chhatiatala village in Jashore Sadar upazila, and a seventh-grade student at Farida Bidyayatan School in Cumilla city. School authorities said she had not attended classes since February this year.

Her father works for pharmaceutical company Renata in its Cumilla region. The family lives in a rented apartment in the Racecourse area of Cumilla city.

Tazmin left home on October 4, telling her family she was going to visit a female friend. She was last seen in front of Hotel Nurjahan in Cumilla at 12:19 AM on October 8, according to the report.

At 2:58 AM that day, she sent a message to her father's WhatsApp account sharing her live location and asking him to come and take her home. 

However, her father was asleep and did not see the message at the time.

Her body was recovered the following morning, initially as an unidentified victim. Police later confirmed her identity and seized a CNG found near the body.

Following the incident, her father filed a murder case against unidentified individuals with Lalmai Police Station.

Police said further investigation and questioning of the arrested suspect would help establish the circumstances surrounding Tazmin's death.