Townspeople demand capital punishment of killers

Townspeople formed a human chain near Kurigram Central Shaheed Minar and brought out a procession yesterday, demanding capital punishment to the killers of school student Alif Ahmed Swapan.

Later, they submitted memoranda to the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police, Kurigram. 

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Son of Sultan Ahmed of Sardar Para in Kurigram town, Alif Ahmed Swapan, 14, was a Class VIII student of Kurigram Collectorate School and College.

Police recovered his decomposed body on Thursday evening from a septic tank in one Morsheda Begum's house at Hanagarh Para in the town. She is a senior staff nurse of Kurigram Sadar Hospital.

 Police and locals said Alif and Rifat, son of Morsheda Begum and a student of Kurigram River View High School, were friends.

At around 10:00am on Monday, Alif told his mother that he was going to Rifat's house, and had been missing since then.

After filing of a general dairy with Kurigram Sadar Police Station by Alif's parents on Tuesday, police interrogated Morsheda and Rifat at the police station on Wednesday and later released them.

Law enforcers suspected Morsheda and Rifat when they switched off their mobile phones. Police took them to the police station on Thursday. During interrogation, they confessed to killing Alif.

On their statements, police recovered Alif's body at around 6:30pm from the septic tank.

According to their statements, Rifat's friend Akash wanted to buy a jacket but did not have any money. Rifat called Alif to his house so that he could collect money as ransom after abducting Alif.

Rifat and Akash tied Alif's hands and legs because he refused to ask his parents for money. They strangled him with a muffler when he started screaming for help.

Masud Alam, assistant superintendent of police, said law enforcers are trying to arrest Akash and others involved in the killing.

Police on Friday produced Morsheda and Rifat in a Kurigram court that sent Morsheda to jail and Rifat to Juvenile Correction Centre in Pulerhat of Jessore. The court also fixed January 8, 2016 for hearing of the case.