What initially appeared to be the murder of a 13-year-old schoolboy for an expensive iPhone has developed into a more complex investigation involving a Tk5,000 debt, his association with older youths and TikTok videos used to lure him from home.
Police say Ishayat Shahriar Apratim was taken to a secluded part of Lalmai Hill in Comilla on Friday, assaulted and killed before his mother’s iPhone 17 Pro Max was taken. But investigators are now examining whether personal grievances also contributed to the killing.
Three people, including Saiful Islam Tuhin and two teenagers, have been arrested in the murder case filed by Apratim’s father, KM Firoz Shahriar.
Police are investigating whether another youth was involved.
The emerging picture is of a seventh-grader who had developed friendships with people several years older than him -- relationships involving motorcycle rides, photographs and TikTok videos -- before allegedly being lured to the isolated hills by people he knew.
Lured out to make TikTok videos
Investigators say text messages were central to getting Apratim out of his home.
Tuhin repeatedly messaged him on Friday, asking him to come outside.
At one stage, Apratim was told they could use his expensive phone to shoot TikTok videos and take photographs, according to sources close to the investigation.
Apratim eventually agreed and left home with his mother’s iPhone at around 2:30pm. His family had understood that he was going out to take photographs with friends.
He never returned.
Police say Apratim met Tuhin shortly after 3pm. Their subsequent movements were captured by at least four CCTV cameras.
Footage showed Apratim and Tuhin walking and talking normally. Two other individuals were seen following them in one clip, while another showed all four together.
Their destination was a wooded area in Sananda in the Lalmai Hills, reached through an unpaved road about 1.5 kilometres from the main highway.
Police believe two other teenagers later joined Apratim and Tuhin there.
Phone snatching turns deadly
According to the initial police investigation, the group tried to take Apratim’s phone sometime between 5pm and 6pm.
When he resisted, a scuffle broke out. Police allege Tuhin struck him on the head with a bamboo stick before others also assaulted him.
After Apratim died, the group allegedly took the iPhone and fled.
Investigators are separately examining the role of another youth, Siam. Police information so far indicates he was not at the actual killing site, but investigators are checking whether he acted as a lookout nearby.
Apratim suffered a severe head injury, while other wounds were also found on his body. Investigators believe some injuries may have occurred after death when jackals dragged the body. Autopsy and forensic evidence is being examined.
A Tk5,000 grievance
The investigation has also uncovered another possible motive.
One of the arrested teenagers had worked at YesTech, a mobile-phone parts business owned by Apratim’s father.
Investigators learned that Apratim had lent him Tk5,000 and had recently begun asking for repayment.
Sources familiar with the interrogation said the teenager had become annoyed over the repeated demands and allegedly thought that if Apratim were no longer alive, he would not have to repay the money.
Police are examining the allegation as part of the motive.
Suspects emerge during interrogation
Police detained Tuhin at around 9am on Saturday, before investigators knew Apratim was dead. His body was found later that day.
Investigators say Tuhin initially denied involvement but admitted his role after prolonged questioning.
He was initially reluctant to identify others, allegedly saying he had promised not to disclose their names.
During the interrogation, however, Tuhin’s phone repeatedly received calls from the teenager who worked at Apratim’s father’s company.
Police subsequently detained that teenager. Investigators say Tuhin then identified another teenager, who was also taken into custody.
Investigators are examining whether one suspect deliberately left his mobile phone behind on the day of the killing to conceal his location.
Police have yet to reach a conclusion and are examining technical evidence.
Stolen iPhone recovered
Police say the stolen iPhone ultimately led them to another crucial piece of evidence.
Investigators went to Tuhin’s home on Saturday evening, where his mother, Shirina Akhtar, retrieved the phone from underneath a mattress.
Family members told investigators that Tuhin had returned home before evening on Friday and asked his younger brother to hide the phone.
Friendship across an age gap
Apratim was a seventh-grade student at Border Guard Public School. School authorities described him as quiet, sociable and a good student with no known record of trouble.
But investigators are examining his social circle outside school.
Police found that those with whom Apratim associated were not his classmates and were older than him.
Investigators also found photographs and TikTok videos involving Apratim and the older youths.
His tutor, Al Amin, said Apratim was mature for his age and mixed easily with people of different ages, but tended to associate more with seniors.
The tutor said Tuhin would take Apratim to different places on his motorcycle, which may have helped deepen their friendship.
She had, however, noticed that Apratim had recently begun declining invitations to go out and had advised him to be careful about whom he associated with.
Apratim’s maternal uncle, Kazi Mahbubur Rahman, said the boy had come to know 19-year-old Tuhin through an older neighbourhood friend.
After Apratim disappeared, the family contacted Tuhin, who allegedly told them that although the two had planned to go out, Apratim ultimately had not joined him.
CCTV footage later showing the two together raised the family’s suspicions.
Police have not yet established a single definitive motive.
Investigators are now trying to determine how the planned theft of the iPhone, the Tk5,000 debt and the relationships between Apratim and the older youths intersected in the killing.
Forensic and technical evidence is also being analysed to establish the roles of each suspect.
Apratim’s mother, Nahida Begum, an associate professor at Comilla University, has raised additional suspicions, including whether earlier disputes involving local youths could have played a role.
Police have not established a connection between those issues and the killing.