Murder of 11-Year-Old in Mirpur: Prime accused held

The prime accused in the murder of 11-year-old Shamnun Islam, in Dhaka's Mirpur area a week ago, was arrested early yesterday.

A team of detectives arrested Mahfuzur Rahman Roni (38) from Chandpur-Laxmipur bordering area around 4:30am, said Manas Kumar Podder, deputy commissioner (DB Mirpur division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. 

Shamnun, a fourth grader at a local school, went missing on December 17 while he was playing near his house in Mirpur-6 area.

That very night, his mother Roksana Begum got a call from an unknown person who demanded Tk 5 lakh as ransom for his release. Roksana gave Tk 60,000 to the miscreants through a mobile money transfer company in several phases but the kidnappers killed the boy.

Police found him dead at a 14-storey building in Mirpur-10 on December 19, two days after he was kidnapped.

Roksana filed a murder case accusing five persons for abduction and murder of Shamnun with Mirpur Model Police Station.

Police earlier arrested four accused from different areas of the capital in connection with the abduction and murder.

The arrestees are -- Nur Alam Proloy, Yusuf Newaz, Khairul Islam and Mahfuzur Rahman.