Retired Senior Warrant Officer Hafizur Rahman, who was in custody in connection with the death of Comilla Victoria Government College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu, has been released on bail. He walked out of Comilla Central Jail on Tuesday at 7:30 PM. His arrest had occurred on the night of April 21, a decade after the incident, when he was taken into custody by Inspector Tarikul Islam of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) from his residence in Keraniganj, Dhaka.
Hafizur Rahman spent three months and 14 days in prison before his release, a fact confirmed by Senior Jail Superintendent Md. Shah Alam Khan. Following his initial arrest in April, he was presented before the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Mominul Haque, who granted a three-day remand for interrogation by a special PBI unit in Dhaka.
The PBI investigation has revealed that DNA analysis of clothing recovered from the victim contained profiles from multiple men. To facilitate further comparison, the PBI requested blood samples from two suspects. On July 16, Senior Judicial Magistrate Mominul Haque authorized the DNA testing of these individuals: former soldier Md. Zahidul Islam, 41, son of Md. Solaiman Hossain from Kazipur, Sirajganj, and 32-year-old Faisal Ahmed, also known as Rabbi, son of M.A. Mannan from Lakshminagar, Comilla.
Additionally, on June 8, the court issued arrest warrants for two other suspects who were stationed at the Comilla Cantonment during the incident: former Sergeant Zahiduzzaman (Zahid) and soldier Shahin Alam. The court also ordered the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice for their capture. Sergeant Zahid, a native of Morrelganj, Bagerhat, was serving with the 12th Engineer Battalion at the time, while soldier Shahin Alam, from Burichang, Comilla, was attached to the 2nd Signal Battalion. Both remain fugitives.
Inspector Tarikul Islam, the lead investigator, stated that he was informed of the bail decision through official court channels. He added that efforts to locate the remaining suspects and collect necessary DNA samples are ongoing in accordance with judicial directives. According to Senior Jail Superintendent Md. Shah Alam Khan, the High Court issued the bail order on Sunday, August 2, and the release was finalized on Tuesday after the necessary documentation was processed by the Comilla Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court.