Abducted schoolboy murdered

Locals burst into an angry protest and damage the house of an arrested accused, following recovery of the body of class eight student Rana Das from a ditch in Gouranadi upazila under Barisal district yesterday, six days after the boy's abduction from the premises of Torkir Bandar Victory School in the upazila. Inset, Rana. Photo: STAR

The body of a schoolboy, abducted a week ago, was found in a ditch in Gournadi upazila early yesterday.
The deceased, Rana Das, 13, son of Krishna Das of Sundari village, was a class eight student of Torkir Bandar Victory School in the upazila.
Police arrested Kartik Vakto, 44, a neighbour of Krishna Das, Sultan Sharif, 48, and his wife Hena Begum, 40, of Ramnagar village in connection with the abduction.
Protesting the incident, locals staged a demonstration in the area and vandalised the house of accused Kartik.
Quoting the arrestees, Abul Kalam Azad, officer in-charge of Gournadi Police Station, said Kartik picked up Rana Das from the school premises on Sunday afternoon and took him to the house of Sultan.
The boy then became unconscious after Sultan and his wife Hena gave him sedatives.
Being informed by Rana's classmates, locals caught Kartik and handed him over to the police the following day.
Father of the boy then filed a case with the PS accusing six people, including Kartik, Sultan and his wife. Police then arrested Sultan and Hena, said the OC.
During an interrogation, the arrestees said they strangled the body and dumped his body in the ditch in the upazila.
Police then recovered the body from the spot and sent it to Sher-e-Bangla Medical College and Hospital morgue for autopsy.