A metropolitan magistrate conducted an inquest report of the body of Jamal Uddin, 14, an employee of a tea stall in Mirpur-14. His autopsy will be conducted today, morgue sources said.

Jamal had been living with the family of his uncle Ali Azam for three years in a tin-shed colony in the area.

Hospital sources said bruises were found on the chest and other parts of Jamal's body.

Military Police Sergeant Sirajul Islam of Dhaka Cantonment filed a case with Kafrul Police Station at 3:15pm on Friday alleging that Jamal and nine others are involved with the theft at Captain Khurshed's Rajanigandha Officers' Quarters residence at Kachukhet. The case statement did not specify the time of the incident.

Sirajul filed the case before handing over the ten persons to police.

The duty officer of Kafrul PS said conditions of two of the ten were grave, so they sent the two to DMCH. Jamal died at 1:30am.

The other injured is Kajal, 19, who was picked up by the army men on Friday from a pick-up van in Mirpur-14 when he was sleeping. DMCH sources said Kajal was admitted unconscious and did not regain sense as of 8:30pm yesterday.

The others having minor injuries were sent to court.

Jamal's uncle Ali Azam quoted the night guards near the tea stall as saying that some army persons picked Jamal from the shop at 4:00am without showing any cause and took him to some place near Garrison area in the cantonment. Ali Azam had left the tea stall for home at 11:30pm on Thursday.

As the family members searched for the boy at the army check post at Garrison at 9:00am on Friday, the military asked them to come at 5:00pm.

"His [Jamal's] little chest bore signs of a lot of kicks," said Azam. "How could he be involved in the theft since he does not even know where Kachukhet is?" he added.

Ali Azam demanded fair investigation into the incident and punishment to the persons responsible.

When Inter-Services Public Relations office was contacted, its Director Lt Col Kazi Md Kabirul Islam expressed their ignorance of the incident.