The accused later confessed before a Chattogram court after his arrest
The accused Babu Sheikh. Photo: Collected.
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The accused Babu Sheikh. Photo: Collected.
Babu Sheikh, the man accused of killing eight-year-old Jannatul Nisha Ira in Sitakunda, built a trail of marriages and criminal allegations across several districts while hiding his real identity, according to police records and local accounts.
An investigation by The Business Standard found that he married in at least three districts under different aliases while facing multiple criminal accusations.
Police PCPR records (Previous Conviction and Previous Record) show that his real name is Mahbub Alam, 45, from Madhyam Pulupura village under Gobindaganj police station in Gaibandha. He is the son of the late Hatem Sheikh and the late Hazera Begum.
Early life and first marriage
Local residents said he lived in the village until about a decade ago before leaving the area after becoming involved in various criminal activities.
According to locals, his first marriage took place in Gaibandha, where he has a child.
Case in Pabna
After leaving Gaibandha, he moved to Pabna, where he concealed his identity and used the name Mahbub Alam Babu.
According to the case statement in a Pornography Control Act case filed in 2019, he approached a woman in Kuchiamora Shakharipara under Ataikula police station in 2018, offering marriage and developing a relationship.
She later alleged that he raped her on the promise of marriage and then blackmailed her into marrying him.
When she later discovered that Mahbub Alam Babu, an alias used by the suspect, already had a wife, the relationship broke down. She accused him of creating objectionable images of her and circulating them on social media.
She filed a case against him under the Pornography Control Act on 18 January 2019 in Pabna. Although the FIR mentioned allegations of rape, the case was later recorded under the pornography law.
Officer-in-Charge of Pabna Sadar police station Aminul Islam told TBS that police submitted a chargesheet after completing the investigation and the case is now under trial.
Third marriage and other cases
Later, he moved to Chattogram, where he again changed his identity, introducing himself as Babu Sheikh.
For the past six months, he had been living in a rented house in the Kumirakanta Pukurpar area of Sitakunda with his third wife, who is from the Jurantal area of Sitakunda.
In the area he worked as a cutting labourer at a rod factory.
Police records show that two additional cases were filed against him at Gobindaganj police station in Gaibandha over allegations of theft, robbery and vandalism.
The Sitakunda killing
Police say the suspect lived next door to Ira’s family.
According to investigators, he took the child to a nearby hill in Sitakunda, attempted to rape her, and then slit her throat.
After being arrested as the main suspect, he gave a confessional statement before the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Saima Arefin Hema in Chattogram on 4 March.
Family’s account
Ira’s uncle Ramzan Ali told TBS that the accused lived in a rented house next to their home with his wife and a child of similar age to Ira.
Because the houses were next to each other, Ira often went there to play with the child, he said.
Ira’s father Monir Hossain, an auto-rickshaw driver, said his daughter often went to the neighbouring house to watch television because they did not have one at home.
“About a month ago I had an argument with Babu Sheikh over why my daughter went to their house. He then threatened me,” he said.
He also alleged that even after being arrested, the accused threatened him while police were taking him to the station.
Investigation continues
Investigating officer Sub-Inspector Mohammad Kamruzzaman said police arrested the suspect after analysing CCTV footage.
Following a hearing on Wednesday, the court ordered him to be sent to jail. Babu Sheikh is the only accused in the case.
Chattogram Superintendent of Police Mohammad Nazir Ahmed Khan said the victim’s family and the accused’s family lived next door and had previous disputes.
“Preliminary investigation suggests the child may have been targeted because of that dispute,” he said.
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