Seven-year-old murdered 'after rape' in Chattogram

Police in Chattogram today detained a 21-year-old youth who allegedly murdered a seven-year-old girl in her home this morning.

Police suspect that he also raped her before the murder.

The victim's father is a rickshaw-puller and her mother is a worker at a garment factory. The family lives in a tin shed house in the port city's Chandgaon area. 

Talking to The Daily Star in front of the Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) morgue around 3:00pm, the victim's father said, "We left our house for our workplaces around 7:30am today.

"I gave her some money to have some snacks before leaving the house for the rickshaw garage. When I was waiting on the Moulavi Pukurpar Road area for a passenger around 8:45am, a girl came to me and said that my daughter was found dead at the house," he said.

Baker also said, "I rushed to the house and found my daughter lying on the bed. My cousin and neighbours had already reached the spot. They told me that her hands and legs were tied and a black bruise was found on her neck.

"My cousin lives beside our house and she went to see my daughter, but found the door locked from inside. While knocking, the door was suddenly opened and a youth came out and ran away," said Baker.

Sub-Inspector Riyadus Salehin of Chandgaon Police Station told The Daily Star, "On information we went to the spot and found the body on the bed. Locals chased the youth and spotted him in a pond 500 metres from the victim's house. Later, we detained him and took him to CMCH for primary treatment.

"Primarily, we suspect that she was strangled after rape. But without a post-mortem, it is difficult to confirm that she was raped before murder," he added.