Child found walking in forest with slit throat dies in Sitakunda

The seven-year-old child who was rescued in critical condition with a knife wound to the throat from a forest in Sitakunda, Chattogram, has died.

The child died while undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Chattogram Medical College Hospital around 5:00am on Tuesday, March 3.

Earlier, on Sunday morning, March 1, the child was rescued in a bloodied condition from a remote hilly area of the Sitakunda Botanical Garden and Ecopark.

According to eyewitnesses, an excavator driver spotted the child staggering out of the forest towards the road while road repair work was underway about five kilometres inside the ecopark. Workers quickly rushed in and tried to stop the bleeding by pressing cloth against the throat wound. The child was first taken by truck to Sitakunda upazila Health Complex and later shifted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment.

Hospital sources said the child had deep injuries to the throat and hands. Due to severe damage to the airway, the child had been unable to speak from the beginning.

Despite surgery and necessary treatment, the condition deteriorated, and the child was moved to the ICU around 4:30am before doctors later declared the child dead.

Earlier, hospital director Brig Gen Mohammad Taslim Uddin said the child had undergone throat surgery and was kept under observation at the One Stop Crisis Centre (OCC). Concerned doctors initially found indications of sexual violence, and necessary forensic examinations were completed.

Police said the child’s home is in the Machjidda (Masterpara) area of Kumira union in Sitakunda. The rescue spot is about 14 kilometres from the residence. Investigators are examining how such a young child reached deep inside the ecopark alone, whether the child was abducted, or if the attack was premeditated.

In this connection, the child’s mother filed a case with Sitakunda Police Station on Sunday night. Officer-in-Charge Mohinul Islam said the incident is extremely brutal and alarming. Efforts are underway to identify those involved through CCTV footage analysis, questioning locals, and examining technological evidence.