Police have recovered the body of Ishayat Shahriar alias Oprotim (13), the missing son of Nahida Begum, an Associate Professor of the Department of Bangla at Comilla University.
His body was recovered on Saturday (19 September) afternoon from a jungle in the Sananda area of Lalmai Hills, adjacent to Comilla University. Police stated that injury marks were found on Oprotim’s head.
Mohammad Rokibul Islam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Comilla Sadar Dakshin Police Station, said that Oprotim’s body was found inside the jungle near the university around 1:00 PM. Police recovered the body from the spot and prepared to send it to the Comilla Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy. He added that police are working to identify those involved in the murder.
Earlier on Friday (18 September), around 3:00 PM, Oprotim left home with his mother’s iPhone to take photos with friends. He had been missing ever since. Later, his family filed a General Diary (GD) with Comilla Sadar Dakshin Police Station.
Oprotim was the only son of Comilla University teacher Nahida Begum. He was a seventh-grade student at Border Guard Public School in the Kotbari area.
According to family sources, when Oprotim did not return home, an attempt was made to track the location of the mobile phone he had with him. His location was tracked to Gandhamati in the Kotbari area of Comilla until 6:30 PM on Friday. After that, the phone was found switched off.
Oprotim’s mother, Nahida Begum, had sought everyone’s cooperation on social media to find her son.
Initial suspicions by police and university teachers suggest that he may have been killed for the purpose of snatching the iPhone he had with him. However, the exact motive for the murder and those involved have not yet been confirmed. The iPhone Oprotim had with him has not been recovered either.
Comilla University Proctor Professor Abdul Hakim said that since Oprotim went missing, the university administration was in contact with various law enforcement units, including the Police, DB, and the Special Response Battalion. However, he could not be rescued alive in the end.
Police stated that further details regarding the cause of death will be known following the autopsy. Meanwhile, an investigation is underway to identify those involved in the incident.
