Retired Senior Warrant Officer of the Bangladesh Army Hafizur Rahman has been sent to jail after completing a three-day remand in connection with the murder case of Victoria Government College student and theatre activist Sohagi Jahan Tonu.
Senior Judicial Magistrate Abdullah Al Amaan of Comilla court ordered that the accused be sent to Comilla Central Jail following the end of his remand period On Saturday.
Earlier on Wednesday, the investigating officer of the case, Inspector Md Tarikul Islam of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), Kalyanpur, Dhaka, had sought a seven-day remand for interrogation before Senior Judicial Magistrate-1 Md Muminul Haque. After hearing, the court granted a three-day remand.
During the remand period, Hafizur Rahman was interrogated at the PBI special unit in Kalyanpur. Investigators said they obtained important information, which is currently being verified.
“We have gathered some significant details during questioning. These are being cross-checked. If required, we will again seek remand from the court,” said Inspector Md Tarikul Islam, adding that the accused has now been sent to jail under court orders.
Hafizur Rahman, 52, a former senior warrant officer of the Bangladesh Army who retired in 2023, was arrested on Tuesday from his residence in Keraniganj, Dhaka. He was produced before the Comilla court on Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities said his DNA sample was collected earlier that day at the CID forensic laboratory in Dhaka. At the time of the Tonu murder incident, he was serving at Comilla Cantonment.
According to court sources, Hafizur Rahman was brought to the court from Dhaka in a microbus on Saturday at around 1:00 PM. He was produced before the court at approximately 2:00 PM.
Following the hearing, the court ordered that he be sent to Comilla Central Jail. Around 2:20 PM, personnel from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) escorted him to the jail under strict security arrangements.
Security measures were tightened throughout the entire process to prevent any unauthorized photography. Reports indicate that Hafizur Rahman wore a face mask during transit, and at times lowered his head inside the vehicle to avoid being photographed.
Earlier, on April 6, during a previous court appearance, the investigating officer informed the court about the progress of the case and sought permission to conduct DNA comparisons involving three suspects linked to the murder. The court granted the request.
Among the three individuals is Hafizur Rahman. The other two are Sergeant Jahid and soldier Shaheen Alam, both of whom were serving at Comilla Cantonment at the time of the incident and are now reported to be retired.
Regarding Hafizur’s DNA test, the investigating officer stated, “We collected his sample after taking him to the CID forensic department. Such tests require some time to complete. We will be able to comment further on the matter once we receive the report.”
On the evening of March 20, 2016, Tanu went to a house inside Comilla Cantonment to provide private tutoring but did not return. After an extensive search, her body was later found in a jungle near the Power House area of the cantonment.
The following day, her father, Iyar Hossain, filed a murder case with Kotwali Model Police Station in Comilla against unidentified individuals.