PBI Rearrests Former Soldier Hafizur Rahman in Comilla College Student Tonu Murder Case After Bail Violation
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Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) officers have rearrested retired army official Hafizur Rahman in connection with the 2016 murder of Sohagi Jahan Tonu, a student and theatre activist at Comilla Victoria Government College. The 52-year-old former Senior Warrant Officer was taken into custody from his residence in Keraniganj, Dhaka, at approximately 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.
The arrest follows a directive from the Appellate Division’s chamber court, which had ordered Rahman to surrender to a Comilla court within 24 hours. According to Police Inspector Md. Tarikul Islam of PBI’s Kalyanpur unit, the suspect failed to comply with the court’s Friday evening deadline. Following the receipt of the court order, PBI apprehended the suspect, who is currently being held in custody and is scheduled to be presented before a Comilla court later today.
Rahman was initially arrested by the PBI on April 21 at his Keraniganj home. During that detention, investigators collected his DNA samples for forensic analysis. He remained in Comilla Central Jail until August 4, when he was released on a six-month interim bail granted by the High Court. The state subsequently challenged the bail, leading the chamber judge, Justice Md. Rezaul Haque, to stay the order and issue the mandatory surrender instruction.
The case dates back to March 20, 2016, when Sohagi Jahan Tonu disappeared while heading to a private tutoring session within the Comilla Cantonment area. Her body was later discovered in a bush near the cantonment’s power house. While initial autopsy reports from the Comilla Medical College Hospital failed to determine a clear cause of death, investigators have long suspected that the victim was raped and murdered. Tonu’s father, Yar Hossain, filed a murder case against unidentified individuals at the Kotwali Model Police Station the following day.
The investigation has largely centered on forensic evidence. In May 2017, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) reported that DNA analysis of samples taken from the victim’s clothing identified the presence of sperm belonging to three different men. CID officials also interrogated three individuals in connection with the case at the Dhaka Cantonment in October 2017.
In May of this year, the PBI revealed that further DNA analysis of the victim’s clothing identified the genetic material of a fourth individual, marking a significant development in the ongoing probe. Rahman, who was stationed at the Comilla Cantonment at the time of the murder, remains a key figure in the PBI’s investigation.
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