A Sylhet court has placed four people on five-day remand each for their alleged involvement in the murder of 5-year-old Muntaha Akhtar Zerin, whose body was found seven days after she was reported missing.
Judge Kazi Md Abu Zaher Badol granted the remand period on Monday.
Kanaighat police station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Awal confirmed the matter.
The individuals placed on remand are Marzia, Marzia's mother, Alifjan Bibi, 54, Islam Uddin, 40, and Nazma Begum, 30.
How Muntaha was murdered
Police believe that on November 3, the day of her disappearance, five-year-old Muntaha was lured by her former tutor, Marzia, and Marzia’s mother, Alifjan Bibi, into their living room.
There, they reportedly silenced Muntaha by covering her mouth with a veil and strangled her with a rope.
Later, they concealed the body in their home before wrapping it in polythene and burying it in a canal drain near the house under the cover of night.
When Muntaha's family questioned Marzia and her relatives, their responses appeared incoherent and evasive, raising suspicion.
Acting on this, police brought Marzia in for questioning on Saturday night and advised Muntaha’s family to monitor Marzia's household closely.
That same night, Alifjan Bibi allegedly attempted to retrieve Muntaha’s body and dispose of it in a nearby pond.
Locals caught Alifjan in the act and immediately alerted the police, who arrived at the scene and arrested her along with her mother, Kutubjan Bibi, 70.
Based on their statements, the police also arrested two others—Islam Uddin, 40, son of deceased Saidur Rahman, and Nazma Begum, 30, wife of Mamun Rashid—for their suspected involvement.
