Nurse Rape, Murder: They tried to make it look like accident

Three people, including bus driver Nuruzzaman and his helper Lalon, raped nurse Shahinoor Akter Tania inside the vehicle, hit her head with a blunt object and then threw her out so that the incident looks like a road accident, police said yesterday quoting the accused.

As locals rushed to rescue Tania hearing her screams, the accused lied that she jumped off the bus herself, Masrukur Rahman Khaled, superintendent of police in Kishoreganj, told The Daily Star.

He also said police found blood stains on the bus’s floor.

The SP, however, did not name the third accused, believed to be on the run, for the sake of investigation.

On Monday night, 24-year-old Tania, who worked at Ibne Sina Hospital’s Kalyanpur branch in the capital, died in mysterious circumstances in a passenger bus on her way home in Kishoreganj’sKatiadiupazila.

On completion of her autopsy, doctors said they found evidence that she was gang-raped and murdered.

On Thursday evening, police seized the bus in an abandoned state from Gazipur’s Kapasiaupazila. A five-member Crime Scene Team of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from Mymensingh inspected the vehicle and the crime scene yesterday afternoon. The team was led by Sub-Inspector Taposh Kumar Debnath.

Meanwhile, different organisations held protests in various places of Kishoreganj and Mymensingh yesterday, demanding justice for Tania.

Bangladesh Nurses Association of Mymensingh and students of Mymensingh Nursing College organised a protest rally in front of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.

Association President Lutfur Rahman, its Secretary Nazma Khatun, MNC Students Welfare Association Vice-president Jannatul Ferdous Anta and its Secretary Sabbir Ahmed addressed the rally, among others.

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, Mymensingh formed a human chain in front of Mymensingh Press Club yesterday afternoon. Members of different socio-cultural and non-government organisations joined it.

The IslamiShasontantraAndolon Bangladesh unit of Pakundia in Kishoreganj held another protest rally, demanding capital punishment for the killers.

Police have already arrested five people, including the bus driver Nuruzzaman, 39, and his helper Lalon Mia, 33, for their alleged involvement in the murder and rape. They were placed on an eight-day remand on Wednesday afternoon.

On the third day of the remand yesterday, the accused gave “important information” to police, Officer-in-Charge (investigation) of Bajitpur Police Station Md Sarwar Jahan, also the investigation officer of the case, said.

He did not reveal further citing ongoing investigation.

Earlier, the victim’s father filed a murder and rape case with the police station naming four, including the driver and his helper, and some unknown people.

The family members claimed that they were constantly in touch with Tania over phone when she was on the bus.

During primary interrogation, the bus driver and the helper claimed that the girl jumped off the running bus through a window and died.

But they could not explain why she would do that, police said.