‘Murdered’ Girl Found Alive: 3 accused appeal for retracting confession

Three accused, who confessed to raping and killing a class-V female student later found alive, yesterday appealed for withdrawing the confessional statements. 

They made the appeal before the court of Narayanganj Judicial Magistrate Kawsar Alam.

In the appeal, the three alleged that they gave the confessional statement after being intimidated by police during remand, their lawyer Rokon Uddin told The Daily Star.

On August 25, the accused filed a bail petition with the court, which fixed yesterday a hearing. They appealed to withdraw their statements while the hearing was underway.

The court, however, did not grant them bail and sent them to jail.

Later, lawyer Rokon said they would file another bail petition with the district judges' court on Wednesday.

On August 27, the court asked OC of Narayanganj Sadar Police Station Asaduzzaman and closed sub-inspector Shamim Ala Mamun, who was also investing officer (IO) of the case, to appear before the court and explain the incident by Tuesday.

The class-five girl student went missing on July 4. Her father filed a case with the police station on August 6 over abduction of his daughter.

Later, police arrested three accused -- Md Abdullah, 22, Md Rakib, 19, and Khalilur Rahman, 36.

On August 9, the accused testified under section 164 in separate courts of Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate and Judicial Magistrate. In their confessional statements, the accused said they had killed the girl after raping her and dumped her body into the Shitalakkhya river, said police.

After their confessional statements, the accused were sent to jail.

On August 24, a police team, however, found the girl alive in Kushiara area of Narayanganj's Bandar upazila, 49 days after she had gone missing.

Later, the girl and her family members said she had no links with the three accused. Rather, she eloped with one of her friends named Iqbal willingly.

Meanwhile, police yesterday produced Iqbal before Narayanganj Judicial Magistrate with a five-day remand prayer. But the court rejected the prayer and sent him to jail.

In another development, SI Shamim was suspended yesterday over the incident,  Jayedul Alam, superintendent of police in Narayanganj, told the media at his office last night.