Neighbour held over murder of 6-year-old in Brahmanbaria

Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has claimed to have uncovered the motive behind the killing of a six-and-a-half-year-old schoolgirl in Brahmanbaria, stating that she was murdered after resisting inappropriate physical contact and intent to inform her mother.

A neighbour of the victim, Ishaq Mia, an auto-rickshaw driver, was detained in Mohonpur village in Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila today in connection with the case, said Sachin Chakma, SP of PBI.

He said the suspect admitted to his involvement during primary interrogation.

“He found the child alone near a local school on April 15 and took her out -- under the pretext of a walk -- before bringing her back to his house later that night,” he added.

The suspect was alone at home at the time. When he tried to touch the child inappropriately, she resisted and said she would inform her mother. Fearing exposure, he pressed her face with a piece of cloth and suffocated her to death, added the PBI official.

The girl’s body was recovered two days later, yesterday afternoon, from a bush near her house, stuffed inside a sack.

The victim was the daughter of an expatriate living in Saudi Arabia and a nursery student at a local kindergarten.

Her mother filed a murder case with Brahmanbaria Sadar Model Police Station against unidentified individuals, following which the PBI took over the case.