The investigation into the murder of five-year-old Mohammad Jaihan in the Patiya Municipality of Chittagong has revealed a calculated plot. The crime was allegedly committed to implicate a rival party in a false criminal case stemming from a long-standing land dispute. Following the killing, the main suspect deceptively joined the victim’s family in their search operations and drank tea with the boy’s father. The case was unravelled through police interrogation and a forensic analysis of a ransom note.
Disappearance and Recovery of the Body
On Tuesday afternoon, Mohammad Jaihan, the youngest child and only son of Mohammad Shahgahan and Zobaida Begum, went missing from South Gobindarkhil East Para in Ward No. 8 of Patiya Municipality, Chittagong. Following his disappearance, a ransom note was delivered to the family demanding 300,000 Taka. The family reported the incident to the local authorities and filed a General Diary (GD) at the police station.
During the search, the next-door neighbour, Mohammad Saifuddin, maintained a completely normal demeanor. He actively participated in searching nearby ponds, ditches, and various spots alongside Jaihan’s relatives. At one point, he sat down and drank tea with the boy’s father, Mohammad Shahgahan. Because Saifuddin’s family had been neighbours for 15 years, his actions did not initially raise any suspicion.
The breakthrough occurred on Wednesday afternoon when the police matched the handwriting on the ransom note to Saifuddin’s 19-year-old daughter, Sadia Sultana. Following this discovery, Patiya police detained Mohammad Saifuddin, his wife Shanu Akhter, and their daughter Sadia Sultana for questioning. During interrogation, the suspects confessed to the murder. Based on their statements, the police recovered Jaihan’s body, packed inside a sack, from a rubbish heap behind the suspects’ house late on Wednesday night.
Motive and Investigation Details
At a press conference in Chittagong, District Superintendent of Police Mohammad Masud Alam clarified the motive behind the crime. He stated that Saifuddin had an ongoing land dispute with his cousin. To frame his cousin for a capital offence, Saifuddin planned the abduction and murder of the child. The ransom note demanding money was deployed as a tactic to mislead the investigation.
The details of the incident, timelines, and legal actions are structured below:
| Case Aspect | Detailed Information |
| Victim |
Mohammad Jaihan (Aged 5), only son of Mo. Shahgahan and Zobaida Begum. |
| Location |
South Gobindarkhil East Para, Ward No. 8, Patiya Municipality, Chittagong. |
| Timeline |
Went missing on Tuesday afternoon; body recovered in a sack late Wednesday night. |
| Suspects |
Neighbour Mohammad Saifuddin, his wife Shanu Akhter, and daughter Sadia Sultana (19). |
| Motive |
Long-standing land dispute with a cousin; attempt to frame the rival party. |
| Key Evidence |
Ransom note handwriting matched to Sadia Sultana, followed by confessions. |
| Legal Status |
Suspects are detained; a formal murder case is being processed at Patiya Police Station. |
Legal Proceedings and Public Reaction
Ziaul Haque, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Patiya Police Station, stated that the preliminary inquest revealed marks of an injury on Jaihan’s head, caused by a heavy object or hammer. The news of the murder sparked widespread outrage in the locality. On Thursday morning, residents organized a protest march in the Patiya Dakbanglo and police station areas, demanding capital punishment for the perpetrators.
The victim’s mother, Zobaida Begum, stated that during the search, she thought she heard her son cry out “Oh Ma” once. However, when she inquired if it was her son’s voice, the neighbours misled her, claiming it belonged to someone else’s child. She expressed profound grief, noting that the suspects had been their neighbours for 15 years and had hidden the body in a sack for two days. The police confirmed that legal procedures are underway to present the detained suspects before the court.
