Three Confess to Planning Comilla Schoolboy Murder Over iPhone Desire Through TikTok Connection
Confession statements of three accused detail how an iPhone obsession and a premeditated trap led to the brutal murder of a schoolboy in the Lalmai Hills of Comilla
A 13-year-old schoolboy in Cumilla was lured to a remote hilly area and beaten to death with a spade handle over a coveted iPhone, according to the shocking judicial confessions of three accused individuals. The victim, Ishayat Shahriyar Apratim, a seventh-grader at Cumilla Border Guard Public School, went missing after leaving his home on September 18, and his body was recovered the following day from a secluded forest in Lalmai Hills under Cumilla Sadar Dakshin upazila.
year-old Saiful Islam alias Tuhin and two minor accomplices, recorded their confessional statements under Section 164 before the Senior Judicial Magistrate Court in Cumilla. Judicial records reveal that the heinous murder was premeditated, stemming from a covetous desire for Apratim's smartphone that had been brewing for days. Tuhin detailed in his confession that he had grown acquainted with the victim over several months through motorcycle rides, photography, and social media video creation, eventually plotting to steal the phone and eliminate the boy alongside a teenager employed at Apratim's father's shop.
Court documents outline how the suspects orchestrated the fatal encounter under the guise of casual social media content creation. Investigators and judicial sources noted that the suspects, who were five to 10 years older than the victim, maintained a starkly uneven association with the young student. On the afternoon of the incident, the victim was led toward the isolated Sananda western area of Lalmai Hills, a location identified by Tuhin as belonging to his uncle.
The confessions indicate that the perpetrators gathered at the remote hilltop site, where they initially confiscated Apratim's phone. When the young boy vehemently demanded his device back, a heated altercation ensued, culminating in the fatal assault using a spade handle found nearby. While the three accused provided largely corroborative accounts regarding the meticulous planning, the journey to the hills, and the initial confrontation, minor discrepancies emerged concerning the precise sequence of events during the final moments of the attack.
Law enforcement and judicial proceedings advanced swiftly following the discovery of the body, with the three suspects formally admitting their culpability before the magistrate on September 20. The tragic episode has cast a profound shadow over the local community, underscoring severe security concerns regarding predatory peer associations and juvenile delinquency.
