The police in Muktagacha, Mymensingh, have recovered the body of a nine-year-old child from inside a sanitary latrine ring slab following a fatal dispute involving online gambling debts. The victim, identified as Andalib Sadman Rafi, a second-grade student at the Muktagacha Residential Madrasa, was reportedly kidnapped and murdered by a neighbour in an act of retaliatory violence directed at the child’s father.
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Discovery of the Victim and Arrest
On Saturday, 9 May 2026, acting on information obtained during a custodial interrogation, Muktagacha police conducted a targeted operation at the residence of Nur Muhammad Khokan. Khokan, a 20-year-old college student and a resident of Jaminpur village in the Banshati Union, was apprehended after being identified as a primary suspect by the victim’s family.
Following his arrest, the suspect guided law enforcement officers to a sanitary latrine on his property. Hidden within a concrete ring slab, police discovered a plastic sack containing the remains of Andalib Sadman Rafi. The recovery concluded a frantic search that began the previous day when the child was reported missing.
Sequence of Events and Motive
According to official police reports and statements from the bereaved family, the victim was last seen at approximately 11:00 am on Friday. When the child failed to return home, his father, Zahirul Islam, filed a General Diary (GD) with the Muktagacha Police Station on Friday night, formally documenting the disappearance.
During the subsequent investigation, Zahirul Islam expressed specific suspicions regarding Nur Muhammad Khokan, citing a history of escalating tension between them. Based on this lead, the police detained Khokan on Saturday morning. Under interrogation, the suspect confessed to the abduction and subsequent murder of the nine-year-old.
The motive for the crime is rooted in a financial conflict linked to online gambling. Khokan admitted to being addicted to digital betting platforms. He claimed that Zahirul Islam had repeatedly interfered in his gambling activities, leading to a profound sense of resentment. Khokan stated that he kidnapped and killed the child specifically to avenge the grievances he held against the boy’s father.
Financial Background of the Conflict
Zahirul Islam provided further context regarding the animosity, explaining that he had frequently discouraged Khokan from gambling. According to Mr Islam, Khokan was owed a sum of 100,000 BDT (one lakh Taka) resulting from online gambling transactions. Mr Islam, along with several other individuals, had recently intervened to help Khokan recover this debt from a third party.
However, the intervention led to further friction. Zahirul Islam noted that, per a prior agreement, he and his associates retained a portion of the recovered funds. This arrangement reportedly angered Khokan, intensifying his hostility towards the family. Mr Islam has formally called for the maximum legal penalty for the suspect, holding him solely responsible for the death of his son.
Police Statement and Ongoing Investigation
Kamrul Hasan, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Muktagacha Police Station, confirmed the details of the operation. He stated that the initial General Diary filed on Friday provided the legal basis for the investigation. “Following the father’s suspicions, we detained Nur Muhammad Khokan on Saturday afternoon. Based on his specific directions, we recovered the victim’s body from a plastic bag hidden inside the latrine slab,” OC Hasan remarked.
The OC further confirmed that during the preliminary interrogation, the suspect provided a full confession regarding the murder and the concealment of the body. The Muktagacha police are now conducting a broader investigation to determine if any other individuals were complicit in the kidnapping or the disposal of the remains. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause and time of death.