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the 12 Engineer Battalion at Cumilla Cantonment at the time. From the outset, Tonu’s family alleged that he led the brutal assault and murder. He has since been retired from service.

The other accused, Shahin Alam, from Gobindapur village under Pirjatrapur union in Cumilla’s Burichang upazila, was serving with the 2 Signal Battalion at Cumilla Cantonment at the time.

A source said Shahin is currently abroad. He has since retired from the army or been retired from service, according to a Prothom Alo report.

In a separate petition submitted yesterday, investigator Tarikul said, “Since the case was initially treated as a murder with no identified leads, the army’s findings may provide important evidentiary support.”

He further informed the court that the two suspects had left the country during the course of the investigation and were allegedly evading legal proceedings. “Evidence collected so far has established reasonable grounds to suspect their involvement in the killing, and their presence is required to verify information that has emerged during the investigation.”

Yesterday was the scheduled date for submission of the investigation report.

Meanwhile, the investigating officer said evidence collected from samples found on Tonu’s clothing indicates the involvement of another individual. DNA testing has now identified samples from four people on her clothing -- semen from three, and blood from one.

While information regarding the semen samples of three individuals had previously surfaced, the newly identified person’s blood sample has now been matched to Tonu’s clothing.

Former senior warrant officer Hafizur Rahman, who was arrested in connection with the case, was produced before the Senior Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Cumilla around 11:00am yesterday. No bail petition was filed on his behalf, and the court sent him to jail.

Hafizur, 52, retired from the army or was retired from service in 2023. He was arrested from his house in Keraniganj on April 21. At the time of Tonu’s murder, he was also serving at Cumilla Cantonment.

On the evening of March 20, 2016, Tonu, a student of Comilla Victoria Government College, went to suspect Zahid’s house inside Cumilla Cantonment to give private tuition to his children and never returned home. After a search, her body was found in bushes near the cantonment’s power house.