First arrest in Tonu murder case after 10 years

In a case that has remained unresolved for nearly a decade and once triggered nationwide protests, investigators have arrested a former military personnel in connection with the 2016 murder of Sohagi Jahan Tonu – marking the first tangible breakthrough in years.
Md Hafizur Rahman, a retired senior warrant officer of the Bangladesh Army, was detained from his residence in Keraniganj late Tuesday. 
He was produced before a Cumilla court on Wednesday, where Senior Judicial Magistrate Mominul Haque granted police a three-day remand, rejecting a seven-day request.
The arrest is the first in a case that has moved through years of inconclusive investigations and mounting public frustration. 
Tonu’s parents and younger brother were present in court during the proceedings.
According to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), a DNA sample has been collected from the suspect, though it has not yet been matched with forensic evidence. 
Earlier this month, the court approved a request to cross-check DNA profiles of three former army personnel – Hafizur Rahman, Sergeant Zahid and Jahangir Alam – against samples recovered from the victim’s clothing.
Senior officials of the PBI declined to comment, citing the ongoing judicial process.
Tonu, a 19-year-old student at Comilla Victoria College, went missing on 20 March 2016 after entering Cumilla Cantonment to tutor a student.  Her body was discovered later that day in a nearby wooded area. A murder case was filed the following day against unidentified individuals.
Since then, the investigation has passed through several agencies, including local police, the Detective Branch and the Criminal Investigation Department, before being transferred to the PBI in October 2020. 
Despite multiple hearings and repeated changes in lead investigators, the case had remained unsolved.
Speaking after the hearing, Tonu’s father said he had spent years giving statements to various authorities without any outcome, and expressed hope that justice would finally be delivered.
The latest development has brought renewed attention to a case long seen as emblematic of delayed justice, raising cautious expectations that a resolution may finally be within reach.