It has been nearly a week since Fardin Noor Parash, a student of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), went missing and was found dead three days later but police are yet to figure out who killed him, why and how he was murdered.
Two days after his body was recovered, a case was filed at Rampura Police Station against Amatullah Bushra and several unidentified people. It’s not clear yet whether Fardin was in a romantic relationship with Bushra.
On Thursday, police arrested Bushra from her Banasree home and a Dhaka court placed her on a five-day remand. The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police is investigating the case.
DB chief Harun Or Rashid told reporters that they are working on figuring out how Fardin was murdered. “Several DB teams are investigating. It may take some time. We can’t say who is involved until the probe is over.”
According to case details, the third-year student of BUET left his house in Demra’s Konapara area for the university on November 4. The next day, he was supposed to have lunch with his mother after an exam. Soon, the parents came to know he did not attend the exam and was nowhere to be found.
Family members and Fardin’s teachers and classmates were also unable to reach him as his phone was switched off. On the evening of November 5, his father Kazi Nuruddin Rana filed a general diary with Rampura police.
Premeditated murder?
After learning that Fardin and Bushra had met on November 4, police questioned Fardin’s friends and Bushra. That day, the two had spent quite a bit of time together, including eating at a Dhanmondi restaurant and walking around the Dhaka University campus in the evening.
At around 10pm, Fardin and Bushra took a rickshaw to the Rampura TV station area where he reportedly dropped her off. Fardin, however, was reportedly last seen in Gazipur.
After three days of searching, Fardin’s father learned that his son's body was recovered by the river police from the Shitalakshya River in Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj on Monday. Afterwards, family members rushed over there and identified his body.
On Tuesday, his autopsy was conducted at Narayanganj General Hospital. Doctors said there were several injury marks on Fardin’s head and body.
His family suspected it was a premeditated murder and alleged that Bushra was behind it.
Talking to reporters after Fardin’s namaz-e-janaza at the BUET Central Mosque on Tuesday, Nuruddin said, “My son has been murdered. I won’t get him back but I want justice. It should not be difficult to identify the culprits and killers by tracking his mobile phone’s location.”
DB chief Harun said they are collecting the CCTV camera footage of the areas where Fardin was seen before he went missing. “We are also looking into other issues that could have played a role behind his murder.”
'Killers won't be spared'
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Thursday said it is being investigated why Fardin’s body was found on the Shitalakhkhya although his last location was detected in Gazipur.
Talking to reporters at Rajarbag Police Lines in the city, he said it was initially believed that Fardin was murdered and the probe is on considering it a homicide.
Those responsible for his death will be identified and punished, added the minister.
Meanwhile, BUET students demonstrated over the past few days demanding justice and exemplary punishment of Fardin’s killers.
