The accused teacher, Moslem Ahmed (30), visited the home of the 7-year-old child in Tongi, Gazipur, with a packet of sweets the day after he was accused of sexually abusing the child. The incident was captured on CCTV cameras in the building.
The visit came in the middle of a case that had already drawn nationwide attention.
What the CCTV footage shows
The footage shows Moslem Ahmed, wearing a panjabi and carrying a red bag containing a packet of sweets, entering the ground floor of the building at 12:38pm on October 20, the day after the incident. After speaking with the security guards, he heads towards the lift and is seen getting into it at 12:39pm. A short while later, he takes the lift upstairs. However, the door of the flat he intended to visit is not opened.
After about 10 minutes, he comes downstairs and leaves the building. He has the bag with him throughout. Another footage shows a packet of sweets inside the bag.
Message sent to child’s mother
Speaking to the child’s family revealed that, after failing to meet them, the accused teacher sent a message to the child’s mother’s WhatsApp number at 12:45pm on October 20. The message read: “Sister, I am standing in front of your door. I have come to meet you briefly.”
The child’s father was not at home at the time. Moslem eventually returned to the madrasa without meeting any member of the family.
It was not possible to obtain his statement on why he went to meet the child’s family with sweets the day after the incident.
Family alleges threats and pressure
Meanwhile, the child’s family has alleged that they have been receiving threats in various ways since the incident. As the mobile phone numbers of family members have been circulated, people are contacting them from different numbers. The child’s father also claimed that they are being pressured to withdraw the complaint and remove videos posted on social media.
The child’s father said: “My mobile number and those of my family members have been circulated everywhere. Taking advantage of this, people are threatening us over the phone in various ways. They are telling us to withdraw the complaint and remove the videos that have been uploaded. We are living in constant fear.”
He added: “I want to make it clear that my protest is not against the community of Islamic scholars. My protest is against those who wear religious attire but do not uphold its values.”
The father alleged that he had approached law enforcement agencies seeking justice for what had happened to his child. However, he said that, because he had sought justice, he and his family were now facing pressure instead.
Police say preliminary evidence supports allegation
Police have said they found preliminary evidence supporting the allegation that the child was sexually abused. On Saturday, Arifur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Tongi West police station, said: “We visited the scene and collected various pieces of evidence. These preliminarily confirmed the incident (that the child had been abused). The investigation is still ongoing.”
Asked about the family’s allegation that they had received threats, the OC said: “Both parties have verbally complained to the police station that they are being threatened. However, no written complaint regarding the threats has been received so far. Action will be taken if a complaint is filed.”