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A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed within about 15 minutes in Pabna, with police saying the prime accused confessed to the crime during remand.
According to police, the accused, Mostafa Pramanik, raped Kamrunnahar Kolli shortly after she got up from a prayer mat after Maghrib prayers and then suffocated her with a pillow. He allegedly took part in the subsequent search for the girl with her family members to conceal his involvement.
Police said Mostafa reopened his grocery shop around 10pm after the incident and later took a shower despite having blood on his body. During remand, he allegedly confessed to the rape and murder and claimed that he and another man, Yasin Ali, committed the crime together. Yasin, however, denied involvement in the rape and murder, saying Mostafa sought his help after the killing and that he only assisted him in concealing the body.
Kolli, a fourth-grade student from Kulonia village in Dogachi union of Pabna Sadar upazila, went missing on Sept 9. Her dismembered body was recovered from a nearby ditch inside a sack on Sept 16, seven days after she disappeared. Police subsequently arrested Mostafa and his tenant Yasin.
Investigating officer SI (retd) Benu Roy of the Detective Branch said the two suspects were identified with the help of information technology on the day the body was recovered.
He said police became suspicious of Mostafa’s behaviour when they went to detain him. A local ward member reportedly noticed him trembling after holding his hand, while police later confirmed their suspicion and took him into custody.
According to the investigator, Mostafa had continued to mix with Kolli’s father for several days after the incident and even contacted the family late at night to ask about the missing girl. He also allegedly joined protests and human chains demanding Kolli’s recovery and justice, and remained near police and journalists when her body was recovered.
Benu Roy said Kolli had gone to Mostafa’s shop with her brother at around 9:45am on the day of the incident to buy chips. Police allegedly recovered several photographs of the girl in inappropriate poses from Mostafa’s mobile phone.
Later that evening, Kolli was sitting on a bench in front of the shop with the son of a local resident. After the boy’s mother took him home, she reportedly saw Mostafa preparing to offer Maghrib prayers while Kolli remained at the shop. Police said Mostafa later took the girl into a room behind the shop, where he allegedly raped her several times before killing her within about 15 minutes.
Police also said they recovered numerous photographs of other young girls in inappropriate poses from Mostafa’s phone, which investigators are examining as part of the case.
The investigating officer said about 99% of the investigation has been completed, with only some reports, including digital forensic examinations, still pending. Evidence collected from Kolli’s body was sent to the CID in Rajshahi on Monday for forensic analysis.
Police said forensic tests will help determine whether one or two people were involved in the rape. Mostafa claims both he and Yasin raped the girl, while Yasin denies any involvement in either the rape or murder.
Earlier, police said Kolli had been lured into a room behind Mostafa’s grocery shop, where she was raped and strangled. Her body was later dismembered and placed in a sack in an attempt to conceal it.
Police said the accused had tried to remove the body but fled after being chased by dogs, leaving it behind. The smell from the decomposing body alerted locals the following day, prompting them to inform police.
A post-mortem and medical examination at Pabna General Hospital reportedly found evidence of rape. Police later sought five days’ remand for both suspects in the rape and murder case. The court granted the remand, but it was ended early after the accused allegedly confessed.
Meanwhile, the victim’s home has been vandalised by angry crowds for the past three days, with around 80% of the house reportedly damaged.
On Sunday, Kolli’s relatives and local residents surrounded the Pabna court and the deputy commissioner’s office, demanding that the investigation report be submitted within seven days. Protesters warned of a larger movement if the case is delayed.