Dhaka, April 25 (V7N) — Law enforcement agencies have apprehended a man in connection with the horrific murder of Nahida Akter, an SSC examinee who was killed inside her home in Dhamrai Upazila. The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Shamim, alias Swapan, was arrested on Friday night following a coordinated raid. During a press briefing on Sunday, Dhamrai Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Nazmul Huda Khan confirmed that advanced information technology was instrumental in tracking down the accused, who had been evading capture since the incident occurred last Thursday.

The victim, a commerce student at Dhamrai Central School, was residing with her grandmother in a rented house in the Lakuriyapara area of Dhamrai municipality while her mother worked abroad and her father lived in Barishal. According to police reports, the tragedy unfolded while Nahida was studying alone in her room. Her grandmother, Delwara Begum, had briefly left the house to purchase milk, only to return and find her granddaughter lying in a pool of blood. Despite being rushed to a local hospital and subsequently to Gonoshasthaya Kendra Hospital, attending doctors declared the student dead on arrival.

During preliminary interrogation, Shamim, a resident of Ashulia and a fellow tenant in the same building, reportedly confessed to the crime. He revealed that he was severely burdened by debts resulting from an addiction to online gambling. On the afternoon of the murder, he entered the house on the pretext of asking for chili. Once inside, he strangled the girl with her own scarf before attacking her with a sharp weapon. In a final act of brutality to ensure her death, he used a grinding stone to smash her face before fleeing the scene with her gold ornaments.

The brutal nature of the killing and the subsequent looting of jewelry had triggered widespread panic and outrage throughout the Dhamrai area. Following the filing of a formal case, police prioritized the investigation, leading to the swift arrest of the suspect and the recovery of evidence. OC Nazmul Huda Khan stated that the legal process is currently underway and the accused will be produced before the court to face charges for the premeditated murder and robbery.

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