Police have recovered the body of 6-year-old Muntaha Akter Jerin, who had been missing for seven days, from a pond near her home in Kanaighat, Sylhet.
A woman and her daughter, neighbors of the child, have been detained over the incident.
The Chairman of Kanighat Union, Afsar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, said that some reporters from a local online newspaper went to Muntaha's house to cover the search for the missing child and conducted a live broadcast.
During their visit, they asked the family members about Muntaha. At this point, Marzia, a divorced neighbor in the adjacent house, gave inconsistent responses. Suspecting her involvement in Muntaha’s disappearance, the Kanighat police brought her in for questioning later that evening.
That night, locals saw Marzia's mother attempting to dispose of a body from a canal to a nearby pond. While she attempted to flee, another local caught her and handed her over to the police.
The body was sent to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.
Marzia used to tutor Muntaha and she spent most of her time with her.
Kanighat police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Abdul Awal confirmed the details, explaining that Marzia was detained on Saturday evening.
He said that the child’s body showed signs of trauma and strangulation.
In the days following her disappearance, social media pages shared posts requesting information about Muntaha’s whereabouts. She had been missing since November 3. A general diary (GD) was filed at the Kanaighat police station after her disappearance.