Mystery surrounding the age of Oishee Rahman deepened further after a Dhaka court sent the girl, an alleged murderer of her parents, to jail on Thursday.
The court ordered her transfer from Gazipur Juvenile Development Centre to Dhaka Central Jail based on the documents provided by the case investigation officer and social welfare department that claimed the teenage girl is 18 years of age and belongs to adult prison.
However, the result of the medical tests conducted eight days back, which was supposed to ascertain Oishee’s biological age, is yet to be revealed.
Earlier on August 22, Oishee was taken to Radiology and Imaging Department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital for X-ray test of her teeth and bone as contrasting evidences were unearthed about her actual age.
According to her birth certificate Oishee is an adult while relatives and her school records say she is below 18.
Police said Oishee, daughter of Special Branch of police inspector Mahfuzur Rahman and Swapna Rahman, allegedly killed her parents in their Chamelibagh flat recently.
Meanwhile, efforts from law enforcers and social welfare department to prove Oishee as an adult in the court without producing medical certificates regarding her age have given rise to many questions.
Rumours are afloat that hundreds of thousands of taka have been promised by different groups should she be proved adult or even minor.
A turf war between the officials of the two departments of the hospital – Forensic Medicine Department and Radiology and Imaging Department – was learnt to have been ensued over the rumoured money.
Allegation was also made that a doctor of Radiology and Imaging Department was trying to cover up Oishee’s actual age. The doctor, who earlier served at Forensic Medicine Department, allegedly took hefty sum of money in exchange for providing wrong medical certificate.
Fingers were pointed at him as he had some previous records to change test reports after taking bribe from others, sources said.
A doctor of Forensic Medicine Department, wishing anonymity, said since everybody was worried about the process of determining Oishee’s age they were thinking about re-checking the report from a reputed private diagnostic centre once the report were handed to them.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune on Friday noon, head of the Radiology and Imaging Department Prof Dr Mahbubur Rahman said the delay in submitting the final report over Oishee’s age was caused by some procedural problems.
“Law enforcers need to follow certain procedures needed to prepare the final report but since they did not follow those procedures we are unable to come up with the report for now,” he said.
Police were made aware of the issue and they told us that they would follow the process required, he said.
When contacted about the report of Oishee’s age determination test, Forensic Medicine department head Dr Habibuzzaman Chowdhury said even though they had attempted several times X-ray and Imaging department didn’t give any response yet.
The doctor, however, refused to speak further about the report citing the sensitivity of the issue as reason.
According to Radiology and Imaging Department source, doctors of the department did not collect Oishee’s fingerprint on August 22, the day when she was brought to the hospital.
They, however, sent a letter to the head of Forensic Medicine Department requesting him to take steps to bring Oishee to Radiology Department once again to facilitate taking her fingerprints.
The detective branch earlier had applied to Forensic Medicine Department in accordance with the rules seeking to determine Oishee’s age.
The department, after conducting necessary physical examinations, had sent her to the Radiology Department to conduct X-rays on her.
Some top officials of Forensic Medicine Department while speaking to the Dhaka Tribune said they had collected her fingerprint and attested it in the presence of two witnesses prior to sending her to Radiology Department for X-ray.
So, the reason of not having her fingerprints for delay in submitting test reports was not true, they said.