Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has uncovered within five days the mystery behind the killing of a madrasa student in Joydebpur, Gazipur, where the victim was strangled to death and his body later set on fire after he saw a youth smoking cannabis.

One person has been arrested in connection with the incident.

The deceased, Mahabub Islam Rony, 13, was a student of a madrasa in Bhabanipur Purba Para area under Joydebpur Police Station in Gazipur district.

Sources at the PBI headquarters in Dhaka city said, Rony went missing around 9 pm on February 27 while returning home after offering Tarawih prayers at Darus Salam Jame Mosque in Bhabanipur Purba Para.

The following day, his burnt body was recovered from a garden belonging to Mosharaf Hossain in the same village. Family members later identified the body.

Rony’s grandfather filed a case with Joydebpur Police Station on March 1 against unidentified persons on charges of murder and destruction of evidence.

As the case was scheduled under the PBI, Gazipur District PBI took over the investigation on its own initiative. SI (unarmed) Biswajit Biswas is currently investigating the case.

During the investigation, PBI analysed technological data, reviewed surrounding information from the crime scene, used local sources and examined CCTV footage.

Based on the findings, PBI arrested the victim’s neighbour and tenant, Sabbir Ahmed, 19, from the Bhabanipur area on March 5, said Superontendent of Police (SP) of PBI Media Abu Yousuf Hossain.

During primary interrogation, Sabbir confessed to his involvement in the murder. He later gave a confessional statement before a court under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, he said.

According to the PBI investigation, around 9 pm on the day of the incident, the accused was smoking cannabis inside a nearby forest area. At that time, Rony saw him and said he would inform others about it.

PBI arrests youth over killing of madrasa student in Gazipur

The accused then tried to stop him and, in a fit of anger, pushed the boy to the ground and strangled him to death. Afterwards, he set the body on fire and fled the scene.

PBI said it is also investigating whether anyone else was involved in the incident. The investigation is ongoing.