Victim's cousin held, confesses to murder

Police early yesterday arrested a cousin of killed schoolboy Md Sajeeb from Dhanikhola village in Trishal upazila under the district on charge of the murder.

The arrestee is Md Sabuj, 18, a garment worker, and son of Sharif Uddin of Dhanikhola.

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Md Sajeeb, 8, son of Shafiqul Islam of Dhanikhola village, also a first grader of Dhanikhola Government Primary School, went missing from a playground near his house on Wednesday and police recovered his body from a jute field of the village on Friday afternoon.

The victim's father lodged a case with Trishal Police Station on Friday night, accusing unknown criminals.

Through mobile tracking, a police team arrested Sabuj from his house around 2:00am, said Md Moniruzzaman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Trishal Police Station.

"During interrogation, Sabuj confessed that he was taking ganja (hemp) at the village on Wednesday afternoon. As Sajeeb saw it and threatened to disclose the matter, an angry Sabuj decided to kill the boy," he said.

"When Sajeeb was playing with other children in the afternoon, Sabuj offered him turmeric and took him to a lonely place. He strangled Sajeeb and left the body at a jute field," the OC said, referring to Sabuj's statement.

The arrestee was produced before a Mymensingh court yesterday afternoon and his statement was recorded under Section 164, he said.

The court sent him to jail.