University student Rumpa’s death remains a mystery after a month

Police have not been able to crack the mystery over the death of Rubaiyat Sharmin Rumpa, a university student whose body was found on an alley in Dhaka’s Siddheswari a month ago.

Students of Stamford University organised a human-chain demonstration outside their Siddheswari campus in Dhaka on Friday against the alleged murder of their peer Rubaiyat Sharmin Rumpa. Students of Stamford University organised a human-chain demonstration outside their Siddheswari campus in Dhaka on Friday against the alleged murder of their peer Rubaiyat Sharmin Rumpa.

Police took into custody for grilling Abdur Rahman Saikat, said to be a friend of Rubaiyat Sharmin Rumpa, on Sunday over the death of the Stamford University student. Police took into custody for grilling Abdur Rahman Saikat, said to be a friend of Rubaiyat Sharmin Rumpa, on Sunday over the death of the Stamford University student.

Besides collecting and analysing security camera footage of the area, the law enforcers have quizzed Rumpa’s so-called former boyfriend Abdur Rahman Saikat in custody, but found no lead.

She fell from a multi-storey building on the alley of Siddheswari Circular Road, her first inquest report suggests.

Shamsul Arefin, a deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch, told bdnews24.com that the CCTV camera footages are not clear.

He also said they were yet to get two of the three post-mortem examination reports to determine things like whether it was a murder or she died by suicide.

Students of Stamford University organised a human-chain demonstration outside their Siddheswari campus in Dhaka on Friday against the alleged murder of their peer Rubaiyat Sharmin Rumpa.

After submitting a report made last month, Dhaka Medical College Forensic Department head Sohel Mahmud said Rumpa was not raped.

Her family allege she was murdered. They have expressed frustration over “sluggishness” in the investigation.

Rumpa’s mother Nahida Akter Parul told bdnews24.com that investigator Md Ilias Hossain visited their house only once.

“So much sluggishness in the case after my girl was murdered in such a manner!” Paru said and added they would move to have the case transferred to the Police Bureau of Investigation.

Ilias denied the allegation, saying he had 15 cases to investigate.

“It’s natural for her [Parul] to complain because she has lost her daughter. The least I can say is that the investigation is progressing,” he told bdnews24.com on Friday.

Rumpa’s father Rokon Uddin, a police inspector posted in Habiganj, suspects Saikat had involvement in the death of his daughter, claiming there is evidence that Saikat met Rumpa on the day of her death.

“It happened after she talked to Saikat. Then Saikat must be responsible. Is there anything else to investigate?” he asked.

Police took into custody for grilling Abdur Rahman Saikat, said to be a friend of Rubaiyat Sharmin Rumpa, on Sunday over the death of the Stamford University student.

But questions like why Rumpa, 20-year-old, left her earrings, ring, mobile phone and new sandals at home remain unanswered.

The case has baffled police who are yet to find out how Rumpa’s body ended up on a street in the capital’s Siddheswari, about half a kilometre from her home at Shantibagh, on Dec 4 night.

The family said Rumpa used to tutor two students, which is why she left home on Wednesday afternoon.

She returned around 6:30pm, but did not enter her house. Instead, she called her family and asked them to send her a pair of old sandals.

When one of her cousins gave the old sandals, she handed him her new sandals, earrings, ring and mobile phone before heading out again. She was found dead several hours later and the family identified the body the next day.