Sylhet college student murder: Rab arrests key accused from Sayedabad

Members of Rapid Action Battalion arrested the prime accused in the Sonia Akter murder case in a drive at the Sayedabad bus stand area in Dhaka yesterday.

The arrestee is Md Sojib, 25, of Sharifnagar village in Habiganj’s Ajmiriganj. He is the victim’s cousin.

“Since the murder, Rab started a shadow investigation and located the prime suspect in Dhaka. Based on the intelligence report, a drive was conducted at Sayedabad area in Dhaka from where the prime accused was arrested,” Wing Commander Md Mominul Haque, commanding officer of Rab-9, said at a press conference today.

Sonia, 21, was found dead in her residence at Khuliatula area in Sylhet on Sunday afternoon.

Her brother Parvez Ahmed filed a case with Kotwali Police Station early this today, with Md Sojib as the only named accused along with several unnamed.

According to the case statement, Sojib used to visit their house often and was living at their house at the time of the murder.

On Sunday morning, everyone except Sojib and Sonia left for the hospital where Sonia and Parvez’s stepfather was admitted.

Around 11:30am that day, Sonia’s mother returned to their house and found her dead body in the bedroom.

Sojib has been on the run ever since. Police later recovered the murder weapon, a scissor.

Azbahar Ali Sheikh, deputy commissioner (north) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said, “After Rab hands over the arrestee, we will produce him before a court.”