“I want to see justice before I die,” says Tonu’s father
Shohagi Jahan Tonu. File photo: Collected
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Shohagi Jahan Tonu. File photo: Collected
The investigating officer in the murder of Shohagi Jahan Tonu, PBI Dhaka Inspector Md Tarikul Islam, has been summoned by a Cumilla court today (6 April).
The family confirmed the matter while hoping for justice for her murder.
Tonu’s father Yar Hossain said, “It has been 10 years since my daughter was murdered. I have given statements countless times in the cantonment area, Cumilla police offices, and various offices in Dhaka. I have not received any result.
“Today, the investigating officer told me to be present in court, and I will go. Before I die, I want to see justice for my daughter under the new government.”
After the court recently sought updates on the progress of the investigation, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) was instructed to submit a written explanation on the status of the probe after appearing in court today.
Inspector Md Tarikul Islam, the current investigating officer, also confirmed the development.
The last time the officer visited the crime scene in the Cumilla Cantonment area was on 7 April last year.
The PBI investigation team recently met Tonu’s father Yar Hossain—a retired office assistant of the Cumilla Cantonment Board.
Inspector Tarikul Islam, the sixth investigator assigned to the case, said, “The court has sought information about the progress of the investigation. However, no charge sheet or final report is being submitted at this time. I will present observations on certain aspects of the investigation before the court. I cannot comment further right now.”
On the evening of 20 March 2016, Tonu went to a house inside the Cumilla Cantonment for tutoring but did not return home.
After a search, her body was found in a nearby jungle area close to the power house inside the cantonment.
The following day, her father Yar Hossain filed a murder case against unidentified persons at Cumilla Kotwali Model Police Station.
Initially, the local police, the Detective Branch (DB) of district police, and later the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigated the case for a long time but failed to uncover the murder.
Finally, on 21 October 2020, following instructions from Police Headquarters, the case documents were handed over by the CID to the PBI headquarters in Dhaka.
For nearly four years, the case was investigated by PBI Inspector Md Mujibur Rahman. Most recently, since September 2024, Inspector Md Tarikul Islam has been serving as the sixth investigating officer in the case.
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