Police yesterday arrested three youths, including the prime accused in the case for killing Muhtasim Billah Shakil, 18, an HSC examinee from town's Shaheed Syed Nazrul Islam College.

Police conducted drives in Kishoreganj and Sylhet and arrested the three, including Piyash, 18, said Md Kamrul Islam, officerin-charge of Kotwali Police Station. He did not disclose the names of two other arrestees.

The OC said drive will continue to arrest the rest of the accused in the murder case. Shakil was killed by some of his friends in the town Thursday evening. His father Emdadul Haque lodged a case with Kotwali Police Station on Friday night, accusing 14 people, including Piyash.

Shakil came under attack by some of his friends allegedly led by Piyash, a student of town's Royal Media College, for protesting harassment of a

girl at a fair held at Town Hall premises Thursday afternoon, police said.

Piyash along with about 15 of his friends got into another altercation with Shakil in College Road area around 5:00pm when the latter was on his way home at Akua Madrasa Quarter in the town.

All of a sudden, the youths stabbed Shakil indiscriminately and left the area, leaving him critically injured. Shakil succumbed to his injuries at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital around 7:00pm.