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(public relations) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police.

“The suspect has been taken into custody, but I cannot disclose his location for security reasons,” he told The Daily Star.

Aminur acknowledged that there was a clash between locals and police.

The detainee, Monir Hossain, 35, works at a shop that rents out supplies for events, locally known as a “decorator shop”.

Videos circulating on social media last night appeared to show Monir, while in police custody, admitting to sexually assaulting the child when questioned by a local journalist. However, The Daily Star could not independently verify the authenticity of the clip.

Quoting the child’s family, Bakalia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Solaiman said Monir sexually abused the four-year-old girl after taking her inside the shop near her house. After the child complained to her parents, the family apprehended Monir and confined him to their home.

After the news spread in the area, hundreds gathered in front of the house. On information, a team from Bakalia Police Station went to the spot, detained the suspect and sent the child to a hospital for medical attention.

Journalist Iftekhar Tishan, present at the scene, said as the crowd became furious and tried to snatch the accused, police fired shots, while protesters hurled bricks and stones, leading to chases and counter-chases between police and the mob around 6:00pm, which continued for some time.

A photojournalist reported from the spot that a police truck was set on fire after the suspect was removed from the scene.

When contacted, the CMP assistant commissioner was unable to confirm the matter, saying he had yet to receive reports of the fire.