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The body of a three-year-old girl was recovered wrapped in cloth behind a cupboard at a neighbour’s house in Fatikchhari, Chattogram, about 13 hours after she went missing.
The victim, Halima Akter, disappeared around 8am on Saturday after having breakfast with her family at their home in Dantmara union of Fatikchhari upazila.
Her family members and local residents searched nearby canals, farmland and surrounding areas before notifying police through the national emergency helpline 999.
Police later searched a neighbour’s house amid suspicion stemming from a previous dispute between the two families. Halima’s body was recovered around 9pm from behind a cupboard in the house of Abdul Awal, about 150 feet east of her home.
Halima’s mother, Rasheda Akter, alleged that the child might have been killed over the family dispute or for financial reasons. She also claimed that the body bore injury marks and showed signs of swelling.
Hundreds of local residents gathered at the scene after news of the child’s death spread through the area.
Additional Superintendent of Police Kazi Md Tarek Aziz, of the Hathazari Circle, told media that police had taken Abdul Awal, his daughter Asma and his son Robiul into custody for questioning in connection with the incident.
He said the body had been sent to the Chattogram Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy and that preparations were underway to file a case.
The circumstances surrounding Halima’s death are under investigation.