Tonu murder: Retired army officer Hafizur Rahman re-arrested

Retired army personnel Md Hafizur Rahman, the only person arrested in the murder case of college student Sohagi Jahan Tonu, was re-arrested today (8 August) after failing to comply with an Appellate Division order to surrender within 24 hours.

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) arrested Hafizur from his home in Keraniganj, Dhaka, following an order of the Chamber Judge Court of the Appellate Division.

The process of taking him to the Cumilla court is underway, the PBI said in a press release today.

The Appellate Division's Chamber Court on Thursday (6 August) stayed the High Court order granting Hafizur bail and directed him to surrender within 24 hours. It also directed police to arrest him if he failed to comply with the order.

Hafizur was initially arrested on 22 April and sent to jail in connection with the case. The High Court granted him bail on 2 August, and he was released from Cumilla Central Jail on 4 August.

Following the High Court's bail order, the Appellate Division's Chamber Court stayed the order and directed Hafizur to surrender within the stipulated time.

The PBI said Hafizur was re-arrested in light of the court order and to prevent him from fleeing.

Tonu, a student of Cumilla Victoria Government College, went missing on the evening of 20 March 2016 after going to the Cumilla Cantonment area to provide private tuition.

Her body was recovered the following day from a jungle near the cantonment power house.

Her father later filed a murder case with Cumilla Kotwali Model Police Station against unidentified persons.

The investigation was initially conducted by local police, the Detective Branch and the Criminal Investigation Department. However, none of the agencies could solve the case.

Police Headquarters transferred the investigation from the CID to the PBI on 21 October 2020.

PBI Inspector Md Mujibur Rahman led the investigation for nearly four years before Inspector Md Tarikul Islam took over as the sixth investigating officer in September 2024.

As part of the renewed investigation, a Cumilla court in July this year ordered the collection of DNA samples from two more suspects – former soldier Jahidul Islam and Faisal Ahmed Rabbi.

Earlier, on 6 April, the court ordered DNA cross-matching between profiles recovered from Tonu's clothing and those of three other suspects – retired Sergeant Zahiduzzaman, retired senior warrant officer Md Hafizur Rahman and former soldier Shahinul Alam.

The court has also ordered Interpol Red Notices against Zahiduzzaman and Shahinul Alam, identified by investigators as two prime suspects in the case. Investigators said Shahinul had fled to Kuwait, while Zahiduzzaman's whereabouts remained unknown.

Investigators previously found DNA belonging to three unidentified individuals on Tonu's clothing, but the profiles remained unmatched for years. The latest tests are part of the PBI's efforts to identify those linked to the evidence recovered from Tonu.