Jamat Leader Accused of Sexually Assaulting Young Girl in Cumilla

A formal criminal case has been registered with the Bangra Bazar police station in Cumilla’s Muradnagar sub-district against a local Jamaat-e-Islami leader accused of raping a 10-year-old girl. The police have launched an intensive manhunt to apprehend the suspect, who managed to evade immediate detention.

According to the official police complaint, the suspect has been identified as Mohammad Azahar Mia, a resident of Metongghar village under the Akubpur union in Muradnagar. He is the son of Abdul Jalil Member, a local public representative. The incident reportedly transpired on the afternoon of 1 July 2026, at approximately 3:30 pm. Investigators state that Azahar allegedly lured the young girl to a secluded tin-roofed structure adjacent to his commercial poultry farm. Once inside, he reportedly locked the door and subjected the child to a sexual assault.

The victim’s distress cries eventually alerted her family members and nearby residents, who rushed to the scene. Sensing imminent capture by the gathering locals, the suspect broke away from the structure and fled into hiding. The traumatised child subsequently recounted the harrowing ordeal to her parents.

Following the assault, the severely bleeding child was taken to a local chamber operated by a homeopath practitioner, Setu Debnath, where initial attempts were made to stem the blood loss. This medical intervention has drawn sharp scrutiny from local residents, who allege that Debnath has a history of involvement in questionable activities and illicit social arrangements.

Local community members claim that Azahar, leveraging his political affiliation with Jamaat-e-Islami and his family’s influential socio-economic status, has a history of controversial conduct. Residents allege that his family frequently relies on financial influence and political clout to suppress local grievances and evade accountability for historical wrongdoings. Following detailed consultations with family elders and community leaders, the victim’s father formally filed a written complaint with the Bangra Bazar police.

Anwar Hossain, the investigating officer at the Bangra Bazar police station, confirmed that a regular case had been registered under the stringent Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. He assured the public that multiple police teams are conducting raids across suspected hideouts to arrest Azahar. Efforts to obtain an official statement from the political organisation regarding the allegations against their leader were unsuccessful, as Mizanur Rahman, the Secretary of the Muradnagar sub-district unit of Jamaat-e-Islami, repeatedly failed to answer phone calls.