Uncle arrested over torture, murder of 4-year-old girl in Sylhet

Police have arrested a young man accused of torturing and killing a four-year-old girl in Sylhet.

The accused, identified as Zakir Hossain, was arrested during a raid on Monday night (May 11).

Police said he was a neighbour of the victim, Fahima Akter, and was known to her as an uncle.

Tension gripped the area after news of the arrest spread. Local residents staged protests outside Jalalabad Police Station late at night, demanding exemplary punishment for the accused. At one stage, an angry crowd reportedly attacked Zakir’s house.

According to police and local sources, Zakir allegedly lured the child to his house with false promises and assaulted her while no one else was present in the home. Investigators believe the child died during the abuse.

Police said the accused later wrapped the body with his wife’s scarf, placed it inside a bag and dumped it in a nearby ditch beside the house in an attempt to hide the crime.

The body of the missing child was recovered from the ditch last Friday.

Shamsul Habib, officer-in-charge (OC) of Jalalabad Police Station, said, "Fahima’s mother filed a case after the body was recovered. The accused was arrested in a follow-up operation and legal proceedings are currently underway."

"Additional law enforcement personnel have been deployed in the area to prevent further unrest and maintain public order," he added.