Law enforcement authorities in Cumilla have unmasked a chilling pattern of violent crime, revealing that a local man operated as a serial predator whose primary vocation involved murdering vulnerable auto-rickshaw drivers to steal their vehicles. The breakthrough came after the Detective Branch (DB) of the district police successfully solved two separate murder mysteries spanning across Nangalkot and Monohorganj upazilas, bringing a notorious criminal syndicate to justice.
The chilling details were formally disclosed on Tuesday afternoon during a comprehensive press briefing held at the conference room of the Cumilla Superintendent of Police office. Additional Superintendent of Police Lutfor Rahman addressed journalists, outlining the systematic brutality behind the crimes and confirming the arrest of the primary suspect, 25-year-old Abdul Wadud Manik. Manik hails from Gonipur village under the Natherphetua Union of Monohorganj Upazila, and is the son of Aminul Islam, also known as Dulal.
Police investigations revealed that the grim sequence of events began to unravel following the discovery of a decomposing body on 12 August in the Atiabari area under Nangalkot police jurisdiction. Authorities later identified the victim as 18-year-old Md Mehedi, who worked as an auto-rickshaw driver. Facing mounting public concern, local police and the district intelligence branch launched a joint shadow investigation. Utilizing advanced digital tracking and information technology, detectives managed to apprehend Abdul Wadud Manik alongside three accomplices: Shahed, Fahim, and Selim.
During rigorous interrogations, the suspects allegedly confessed to luring Mehedi, murdering him, and making away with his motorized vehicle. Manik subsequently recorded a formal confessional statement before a magistrate under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, detailing his involvement in the crime.
The investigation took an even darker turn following the disappearance of another young auto-rickshaw driver, 15-year-old Md Arman Hossain, who went missing from Nangalkot on 24 August. Police initiated a parallel inquiry by tracking the victim’s mobile phone signals, which eventually led to the recovery of a dismantled auto-rickshaw. Acting on these digital leads, law enforcement arrested three additional suspects: Md Zobair Hossain Sujon, Nur Alam, and Md Gias Uddin.
Under sustained questioning, these suspects admitted to kidnapping and murdering Arman. Investigators then brought Manik back into intensive custody, where he confessed to orchestrating Arman’s murder as well. Based on information provided by Manik during interrogation, police searched a pond in the Binayghar area of Monohorganj Upazila and successfully recovered Arman’s hidden corpse. According to police briefings, vehicle theft and illegal resale remained the underlying motive behind both brutal homicides.
Furthermore, police records indicate that Manik’s involvement in violent vehicle-theft crimes extends further back. On 2 September 2024, he allegedly murdered a 17-year-old adolescent named Shahjahan, alias Simon, by strangulation with the intent of stealing his auto-rickshaw. That specific murder case is currently active and pending trial before the courts, underscoring a prolonged history of predatory violence that has left local transport workers and communities deeply shaken.
