Detectives have arrested the key suspect in the brutal killing of scrap vendor Lal Chand, also known as Md Sohag, who was beaten to death with a concrete boulder near Mitford Hospital in Puran Dhaka.
The arrest was made on Tuesday night in the Itbaria area of Patuakhali by a team from the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, confirmed Additional Superintendent of Patuakhali Police Sajedul Islam on Wednesday.
Though police have not officially released the suspect’s name, DB sources confirmed that he was identified through digital surveillance and information gathered from earlier arrests. “We tracked him to a house in Itbaria and took him into custody,” said a DB official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Investigators zeroed in on the suspect after CCTV footage showed him striking Sohag’s body with a stone. To avoid tipping off other absconding suspects, the authorities are withholding his identity for now.
This brings the total number of arrests in the case to nine. Earlier, on July 14, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained another accused, 33-year-old Md Nannu Kazi, in Narayanganj’s Bandar area.
Sohag was killed on July 9 in front of Mitford Hospital’s Gate-3 in a shocking daylight attack.
Footage of the incident, which showed him being bludgeoned with a concrete block, triggered nationwide outrage after circulating widely on social media.
The killing sparked widespread protests from university students, political parties, and civil society organizations, demanding swift justice.
Following the incident, Sohag’s sister filed a murder case, while police filed a separate case under the Arms Act.
In response to the public outcry, the BNP expelled five leaders from its Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal, and Chhatra Dal wings for their alleged involvement.
Meanwhile, a writ petition has been filed seeking the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the killing.
