Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Sunday said the trial in the murder case of seventh-grader Yashat Shahriar Opratim in Cumilla will be completed quickly.
“I hope the trial of this murder will be completed in a short time, like the trial in the Ramisa murder case. The court will conduct the trial, and we will extend all necessary cooperation by completing the legal procedures and submitting the charge sheet,” he told reporters at the Secretariat.
Opratim laid to rest in Cumilla
The minister expressed hope that the judiciary will give due importance to the case and take steps to complete the trial quickly.
Noting that four arrests have so far been made in connection with the incident, he said they confessed to their part and police are now completing the necessary legal procedures, including examining whether their statements could be recorded under Section 164.
Salahuddin described the incident as tragic, saying the entire country is deeply saddened by it. “The boy was only 13 years old. His body was recovered within 24 hours of his disappearance,” he said.
Praising the police for their role in the investigation, he said they have arrested the suspects within 12 hours and recovered and seized evidence related to the case.
Of the four arrestees, three were picked up earlier, and another was arrested on Sunday.
The minister said two of those arrested earlier are believed to be over 18 and one could be under 18, while their national identity cards are being verified.
He suspected that they were part of a juvenile criminal group, saying they had a relationship, acquaintance and friendship with Opratim and often spent time with him. “Their ages appear to be five to 10 years higher than that of the victim,” he said.
The mobile phone Opratim had with him was also recovered from the prime suspect, Tuhin, Salahuddin said.
“Police have recovered all the evidence. They have confessed to the incident. Now police are working on other legal procedures, including whether their statements can be recorded under Section 164,” he said.
The minister said police are conducting forensic analysis and that Opratim’s post-mortem examination has been completed.
Opratim, the only son of Dr Nahida Begum, an associate professor of the Department of Bangla at Cumilla University, and KM Firoz Shahriar, was found dead in a jungle in the Kotbari area of Sadar Dakshin upazila of Cumilla on Saturday.
Opratim, a seventh-grade student at Cumilla Border Guard Public School, left his home in the area around 3:30pm on Friday, carrying his mother’s iPhone to take photos with his friends.
He was buried at their family graveyard in the Kotbari area on Sunday.
