DNA Tests Reveal Material from Four Individuals on Tanu’s Clothes; Suspect Remanded
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COMILLA, Bangladesh — New details have emerged in the decade-long investigation into the murder of Sohagi Jahan Tanu, a history student at Comilla Victoria Government College. DNA forensic analysis has confirmed that samples retrieved from Tanu’s clothing contained genetic material from four distinct individuals—specifically the sperm of three men and the blood of a fourth person.
The case’s investigating officer, Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) Inspector Tariqul Islam, confirmed the findings. “A few months ago, I sent a formal request to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for clarification on the forensic samples,” Inspector Islam stated. “About a month ago, they informed me that in addition to the sperm of three men, the blood of another individual was identified on the clothing. While the presence of three distinct DNA profiles was known as early as 2017, the identification of a fourth person’s blood is the key new development. We are investigating this case with the utmost priority to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
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Background of the Case
On the evening of March 20, 2016, Tanu disappeared while returning from a private tutoring session inside the Comilla Cantonment. Her body was later discovered in a thicket near the cantonment’s power house, showing initial signs of sexual assault and murder.
The following day, her father, Yar Hossain—then an office assistant for the Cantonment Board—filed a murder case against unidentified individuals at the Comilla Kotwali Model Police Station. The investigation faced initial setbacks when the Forensic Department of Comilla Medical College Hospital released two successive autopsy reports (on April 4 and June 12, 2016) stating that the exact cause of death could not be determined.
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Consequently, investigators anchored their remaining leads to the DNA analysis. In May 2017, the CID officially revealed that DNA profiles belonging to three unknown men had been extracted from the victim’s clothes. Later that year, in October, a CID team interrogated three individuals inside the Dhaka Cantonment based on suspicions raised by Tanu’s mother, though their identities were withheld from the media at the time.
Recent Arrest and DNA Matching
The long-stalled investigation gained fresh momentum following the arrest of a suspect identified as Hafizur Rahman, a 52-year-old retired Army Senior Warrant Officer. Rahman, who retired from the military in 2023, was stationed at the Comilla Cantonment when the murder occurred in 2016.
A PBI team apprehended Rahman at his residence in Keraniganj, Dhaka. Following his arrest, he was presented before a Comilla court, which granted investigators a three-day remand for interrogation. Rahman has since been transferred to the Comilla Central Jail by court order.
Prior to his court appearance, forensic experts at the CID lab in Dhaka collected DNA samples from Rahman. Investigators intend to run a comparative analysis to see if his genetic profile matches any of the four distinct biological signatures recovered from Tanu’s clothing. According to the investigating officer, the results of this definitive DNA match are still pending.
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