Tonu murder: First arrest after a decade as retired army man held, remanded
DNA sample has been collected, but matching has not yet been carried out.
A Cumilla court on Wednesday (22 April) placed retired senior warrant officer Md Hafizur Rahman on a three-day remand in the Tonu murder case, following his arrest the previous night from Keraniganj in Dhaka.
This marks the first arrest in the case nearly a decade after the killing of Sohagi Jahan Tonu, a 19-year-old Comilla Victoria College student, whose 2016 murder shocked the nation and sparked widespread protests and condemnation.
Senior Judicial Magistrate Mominul Haque passed the remand order at Cumilla Sadar Cognizance Court-1 after the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) brought the accused before the court, confirmed Tonu's brother Rubel Hossain.
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Hafizur was arrested on Tuesday night (21 April) from his residence in Arsinagar under Keraniganj Police Station, investigating officer PBI Inspector Md Tariqul Islam told the Business Standard.
He added that Tonu's mother had repeatedly requested his arrest for questioning, and the arrest was made in response to those appeals. "We sought a seven-day remand, but the court granted three days."
He also confirmed that a DNA sample has been collected, but matching has not yet been carried out.
Contacted, PBI Chief and Additional Inspector General Mostafa Kamal and Deputy Inspector General Humayun Kabir both declined to comment, saying, "The matter is subjudice."
Earlier on 6 April, a court in Cumilla ordered a cross-match between DNA profiles recovered from Sohagi Jahan Tonu's clothing and those of three retired army personnel in the rape and murder case – Hafizur Rahman, sergeant Zahid and soldier Jahangir Alam.
The directive followed a progress report submitted by the investigating officer.
Tonu went missing on 20 March 2016 after visiting a house in the Cumilla Cantonment to give tuition. Her body was later discovered in a nearby jungle area close to the cantonment power house.
The next day, her father filed a murder case with Cumilla Kotwali Model Police Station against unidentified individuals.
The case initially passed through local police, the Detective Branch (DB), and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), none of which could solve it.
On 21 October 2020, Police Headquarters transferred the case from CID to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).
For nearly four years, PBI Inspector Md Mujibur Rahman led the investigation. In September 2024, Tariqul Islam took over as the sixth investigating officer.
Earlier this month, Tonu's father reflected on the decade-long ordeal, saying, "It has been 10 years since my daughter was murdered. I have given statements countless times in the cantonment, police offices, and various offices in Dhaka, but received no result. Before I die, I want justice under the new government.
