One of the suspects in the murder of Feni madrasa girl Nusrat Jahan Rafi has confessed to set ablaze the 18-year-old using match sticks after pouring kerosene on her, said police.
Suspect Saifur Rahman Jobayer was taken to the chambers of a Feni judicial magistrate on Sunday (Apr 21), when his confessional statement was recorded.
“He has confessed to take part in the killing and setting the victim on fire. Any other details can’t be disclosed for the sake of the investigation,” Special Superintendent Md Iqbal of the Police Bureau of Investigation told the media at the court premises.
Based on information gleaned from Jobayer during interrogation, the PBI recovered the burqa he had worn during the fatal attack on Saturday from ditch behind the Sonagazi Government College.
Nusrat was sitting the Alim examination, equivalent of the HSC, at the Sonagazi Islamia Fazil Madrasa in Feni.
She had gone to the madrasa on Apr 6 to sit an exam when four burqa-clad assailants poured kerosene on her body and set her on fire.
Nusrat was critically injured in the incident and died during treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Apr 10.
Jobayer, who was Nusrat’s classmate, was arrested the same day from Sonagazi Upazila and was sent to police custody for five days by the court on Apr 11.
Based on information gleaned from Jobayer during interrogation, the PBI recovered the burqa he had worn during the fatal attack on Saturday from ditch behind the Sonagazi Government College.
Investigators said the burqa is one of the three worn by the male assailants during the incident.
Nusrat’s family had initiated a case against the madrasa's principal Siraj-ud-Doula for sexually abusing Nusrat. She was allegedy burnt in reprisal for refusing to withdraw the case, according to her family.