Fugitive accused in child rape case arrested

In Mongla, the sole absconding suspect in a rape case, involving a five-year-and-six-month-old child who was lured with the promise of chocolate, has been arrested in Sylhet by the SRB (Special Response Branch).

The suspect, an employee of the Mongla Port Authority, was apprehended late Thursday night in the South Surma area of Sylhet, with the assistance of information technology and the SRB-09 unit in Sylhet. He was then brought to the Mongla Police Station.

These details were confirmed by Mohammad Atiqur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Mongla Police Station, during a press briefing held at the station on Saturday (November 14) afternoon. Following the completion of legal procedures, the suspect was sent to jail via the Bagerhat Court.

The arrested individual is 40-year-old Yar Mohammad Samir. He is employed at the Mongla Port and resided in the same building as the victim’s family.

OC Atiqur Rahman further stated that on the afternoon of October 25, the victim and the suspect’s daughter were playing on the third floor of the building. Taking advantage of the fact that his wife was asleep in an adjacent room, Yar Mohammad Samir lured the child into his own bedroom with the promise of chocolate and raped her.

Following the incident, the child fell seriously ill and received treatment at the Mongla Port Hospital from October 26 to 28. As her condition deteriorated, she was transferred to the One-Stop Crisis Centre (OCC) at Khulna Medical College Hospital for advanced medical care. After receiving treatment there, the victim’s father filed a case at the police station on the night of October 30 under the Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children Act. The suspect fled the area immediately after the case was registered.

According to the police, an operation to apprehend the suspect began as soon as this high-profile case was filed. He was eventually tracked down in Sylhet using information technology and brought back to Mongla. Although the suspect attempted to evade the issue during initial questioning, there is substantial preliminary evidence against him. Following the completion of legal formalities, he was sent to jail on Saturday.

-    MJU/NS