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Published : 06 Jul 2025, 12:50 AM
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has said evidence supports the claims made by the victims’ family, despite initial allegations linking the mob lynching of a mother and her two children in Cumilla’s Muradnagar to “drug-dealing”.
Following the arrest of six people in the incident, RAB said a young man named Borhan, who goes with a single name, went “missing” after being beaten up in a village settlement on charges of stealing a mobile phone.
Following the incident, Borhan's father, Jashim, who also uses a single name, filed a complaint against a few people involved in the settlement at Bangra Bazar Police Station.
Borhan was a neighbour of the deceased Roksana Begum alias Rubi. As a result, the group involved in the settlement planned to attack Rubi’s family to “punish” them, suspecting she might have been connected to Borhan’s father’s actions.
RAB-11 commanding officer, Lt Col HM Shazzad Hossain, gave this information about the much-discussed murder at a briefing in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar.
A group of people attacked a house in Koroibari village in Muradnagar around 9am on Thursday, alleging drug dealing and criminal activities.
In this, Rubi, 53, her son Rasel Mia, 35, and her daughter Taspiya Akhter alias Jonaki, 29, were killed on the spot.
Rubi's daughter Rumi Akhtar, 30, was injured. She has been admitted to Comilla Medical College Hospital.
Locals claim that Rubi was involved in drug trafficking for a long time, and “resentment” had led to the incident.
The family claims the incident began from a dispute over a stolen mobile phone, and that the attack had been planned on Wednesday and was carried out the day after.
Rikta Begum, daughter of the deceased Roksana Begum, also known as Rubi, initiated the case with the Bangra Bazar police on Friday, naming 38 people and up to 25 unidentified individuals.
Then on Friday night, army personnel nabbed Sabir Ahmed, 48, and Nazim Uddin Babul, 56, from Akubpu and handed them over to police.
That night, six more people were arrested in parts of Cumilla and Dhaka, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to eight.
Arrestees named in the case dossier are Bachchu Mia, 55, Rabiul Awal, 55, and Dulal, 45.
Others arrested in the case, Atiqur Rahman, 42, Bayez Master, 43, and Akash, 24, are accused of being “involved” in the incident.
RAB held a briefing on Saturday to provide details about the arrest of the six individuals. There, Lt Col Shazzad described the triple murder in connection with the mobile theft incident.
He said, "The incident began on Jul 1 when a youth named Borhan stole a mobile phone from a school teacher. He was beaten up by other locals over that incident.
“Borhan’s father was informed after he was beaten. There had been no trace of him. In view of this, his father filed a complaint with the police station.”
Shazzad said Borhan’s house is next to that of Monir Hossain, Jonaki’s husband. When Borhan was beaten and went untraceable following the arbitration, his father approached Rubi for help and she agreed, the official said.
“Under the leadership of Bachchu, the theft incident was settled through arbitration.
“Afterwards, Jashim filed a complaint against Bachchu and four others, including Rabiul, which angered those who had participated in the event.”
Shazzad said that on Jul 2, the day before the murder, an attempt was made to settle the matter through another meeting, but it was not resolved.
Because of this, a plan was made at night to punish Rubi's family.
"Rubi's son Rasel was also threatened by a phone call at night. Accordingly, on the morning of Jul 3, some people arrived at Rubi’s place, including the area’s chairman, Bachchu member, and Rabiul.
“In the morning, Rubi and her daughter were called to a gathering, and during an argument, they were beaten. This scuffle led to the unfortunate incident.”
Shazzad said, "We did not find any political connection with the incident.
“Those who incited the incident are being arrested, and drives for the rest are still under way.”
He also gave information about 11 cases filed against Rubi and nine cases filed against her son on multiple charges.
