‘Murdered’ girl found alive: Judicial probe finds N’ganj police tortured, forced confession out of 3

A judicial probe committee today submitted a report to the High Court saying that the police of Narayanganj Sadar Police Station have tortured and forced three people to give confessional statements to magistrates on raping and killing a minor who turned out to be alive 49 days later last year.

Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Narayanganj Farhana Ferdousi submitted the probe report to the HC through its registrar's office while hearing a revision petition filed in connection with the issue in line with its November 19, 2020 directive.

CJM Farhana Ferdousi in the report cited the statements of the three accused. Abdullah, Khalil and Rakib said that the then officer-in-charge of Narayanganj Sadar Police Station Mostafizur Rahman and its sub-inspector Shamim Al Mamun and Abdul Hye tortured and forced them in different ways to give confessional statements to the magistrates about raping and killing the minor girl.

In the conclusion of the probe report, Ferdousi also said SI Shamim Al Mamun tortured the accused after arresting them in connection with the incident.

The judicial committee also said the two judicial magistrates--Md Aftabuzzamam and Md Humayun Kabir-- properly recorded the confessional statements as they made the statements spontaneously.

Petitioners' lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir, who read out the judicial probe report before the HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman, said the contents of the probe report are contradictory.

The facts behind the incident would have remained hidden if the victim was not found alive, he said.

Shishir Manir prayed to the HC to issue some directives about interrogation of the accused and recording their confessional statements.

The HC bench said that the accused persons might have been sentenced to death following their "confessional statements" if the victim was not found alive.

The bench asked Attorney General AM Amin Uddin to place arguments on this issue and fixed January 13 for further hearing and passing order on the matter.

The girl went missing on July 4 last year. Her father filed the case with Narayanganj Sadar Model Police Station on August 6 on charge of abducting his daughter.

Police later arrested three accused -- Abdullah, Belal, Rakib -- in connection with the case.

The accused gave confessional statements to the magistrate concerned saying that they killed the child after raping her and then dumped the body in a river. After that they were sent to jail.