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Published : 22 May 2026, 11:16 PM
The prime suspect in the alleged Bakalia child rape has “confessed” to his crime in court, a day after his reported crime triggered violence between law enforcers and local residents in Chattogram.
The 32-year-old decorator shop employee gave his “confessional statement” before the court of Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Bakar Siddique on Friday afternoon, police said.
"During initial interrogation, Monir admitted to raping the child. He was produced in court, where he repeated his confessional statement," said Hossain Mohammad Kabir Bhuiyan, deputy commissioner of the Chattogram Metropolitan Police.
The magistrate ordered Monir to be sent to jail, the police officer added.
An official involved in the investigation told bdnews24.com that law enforcement is working to wrap up the probe as quickly as possible.
"We are fast-tracking all procedures, including the collection and analysis of DNA evidence, to ensure a swift trial," the investigator said.
The victim, a 3-year and 6 month-old girl, remains under medical care at the one-stop crisis centre (OCC) of Chattogram Medical College Hospital.
Police officer Kabir said the child's parents were away at work on Thursday afternoon -- her father was in Dhaka and her mother was at a garment factory.
The couple's three children were left in the care of their grandmother when Monir allegedly lured the toddler and reportedly raped her, he added.
The incident initially sparked widespread outrage in Chairman Ghata of Bakalia on Thursday afternoon.
When police arrived to detain Monir, an angry mob resisted, demanding that the suspect be handed over to them for immediate “vigilante punishment”.
The situation quickly worsened into a violent standoff that lasted over two hours, with police firing tear gas shells at one point to disperse the crowd.
In retaliation, locals surrounded police vehicles and pelted them with stones, turning the area into a battlefield.
A police truck was torched during the riot.
At least 40 people, including journalists and police personnel, sustained injuries before police eventually managed to extract Monir late Thursday night.
The victim’s father returned to Chattogram and filed a case against Monir at the Bakalia Police Station late Thursday night.
Police are also preparing a separate case against the rioters for attacking law enforcers and obstructing them from carrying out their duties.
