Madrasa student Sharif manned gate when Nusrat was set on fire

Arrested madrasa student Abdur Rahim Prakash Sharif, a key accused in the Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case, has given statements before a court confessing to the crime.

In his statements, Sharif said a total of seven persons—including Nur Uddin, Abdul Kader, and himself—guarded the gate when the attack on Nusrat took place inside the building. 

The court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Md Sharaf Uddin Ahmed recorded his statements from 2:30pm to 10:30pm on Wednesday.

In his statements, Sharif said: "The whole thing was planned at a meeting held on the night prior to the attack, in the western dormitory next to the madrasa building. Shahadat Hossain Shamim directed us in our duties."

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"On the day of the attack, a team of seven people—led by Nur Uddin—guarded the gate from the morning, while Nusrat was set afire inside the madrasa building by another five-member team headed by Shahadat Hossain Shamim. After the attack took place, they independently left their positions and fled the area."

Earlier, on Wednesday at noon, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) arrested him at Dhaka's Kamrangirchar area.

Confirming the matter, Mymensingh PBI Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Abu Bakar Siddiqui said: "Sharif is one of the suspects in the Nusrat murder case."

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Later in the day, police also arrested Abdul Kader, 25, another key accused in the Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case, in Dhaka. 

The number of arrested for the case now stands at 17.

Two others accused—Nur Uddin and Shamim—gave confessional statements in court on Monday.

Nusrat, who was an Alim examinee, suffered 80% burns when she was set on fire—by four burqa-clad unknown assailants, who were allegedly followers of now-suspended madrasa Principal Sirajuddaula—on the roof of the institution at Sonagazi on April 6.