MUNTAHA AKHTER MURDER CASE
The tragic case of six-year-old Muntaha Akhter Jarin, who had been missing since November 3, took a devastating turn when her body was discovered early yesterday in a pond near her home in Bhararifoud village, located in Sylhet’s Kanaighat upazila.
The child’s body was found hidden in the mud, with her hands and feet bound, suggesting foul play. Following the discovery, the police detained several individuals in connection with the crime, including Muntaha's former private tutor, Shamima Begum Marjia, Marjia’s mother, Aliajan Bibi, and two other locals, Islam Uddin and Nazma Begum.
The case first began when Muntaha went out to play with other children on the afternoon of November 3. The girl, who was last seen around 3:00 pm, did not return home, prompting her family to file a missing person report on November 5. Despite their best efforts, including a reward for any information on Muntaha’s whereabouts, the search had been unsuccessful. Muntaha's father, Shamim Ahmed, expressed his desperation and the community’s growing anxiety as the search continued for several days.
The breakthrough in the case came when the police detained Marjia and her grandmother, Kutubjan Begum, for questioning. Based on the information provided by the suspects, the authorities began their search around the pond near Marjia's residence. At around 4:00 am yesterday, police officers spotted Aliajan Bibi, Marjia’s mother, trying to move the child’s body to another pond. This led to the discovery of Muntaha’s body, which had been hidden to conceal the crime.
Initial investigations suggest that the murder was related to a family feud. Shamim Ahmed, Muntaha's father, stated that the family had stopped Marjia from tutoring their daughter due to complaints about her behavior. It is believed that Marjia harbored resentment towards the family for this decision, which may have driven her to take such a tragic and violent course of action.
After the body was found, an enraged crowd of locals gathered around the house of Marjia and her family. They vandalized the property, looted the house, and set it on fire, expressing their anger and frustration over the brutal crime. Muntaha’s funeral, attended by hundreds of grief-stricken people, took place after the autopsy and the namaz-e-janaza prayers. The local community, who had been anxiously searching for the little girl for days, came together to mourn her loss and pay their respects.
The four detained individuals were later presented in a Sylhet court, where they were sent to jail. Police superintendent Mahbubur Rahman reassured the public that justice would be served. He emphasized, "We tried hard to find out what happened to the little child, and no one connected to the murder will be spared." This case has left the community in shock, and the investigation is ongoing as the authorities work to uncover the full details behind this senseless tragedy.
