DNA test points to roommate
There was no witness to the grisly murder of Ateef Sheikh, an Indian medical student who was found murdered at his apartment on July 15 last year in Chittagong city's Akbar Shah area.
The prime suspect, Ateef's compatriot and roommate Maisnam Winson Singh did not open his mouth despite being remanded several times. But the forensic test has confirmed Winson as the killer.
Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) pressed charges yesterday implicating Maisnam, also a student of USTC Medical College, in connection with the murder case filed with Akbar Shah Police Station.
Inspector Sontosh Kumar Chakma of PBI metro unit and also investigation officer (IO) of the case submitted the charge sheet to the court of Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Al Imran, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) (prosecution) Nirmalendu Bikash Chawkrabarty.
“The court will deliver its order in the next hearing of the case,” said the ADC.
Talking to The Daily Star, Inspector Sontosh said, “There is no eyewitness in the case, and no one confessed to the crime despite several attempts during investigation. But the DNA test has identified Winson as the killer, as his DNA matched with the DNA found in the knife's handle that was used to kill Ateef.”
“However, the motive behind the killing is still unknown,” said the IO.
“PBI took suspect Winson to remand and interrogated him several times, but he pretended to not recall anything during the murder,” said Santosh, adding, “But a medical report said Winson is mentally sound,” said Inspector Sontosh.
Police received the DNA report in March, in which DNA of Ateef and Winson were found. He was interrogated again after getting the report, but Winson did not confess, so PBI pressed the charges based on the evidence.
Ateef, an MBBS final year student, used to live in a flat on the fourth floor of a six-storey building along with three other Indian students of USTC -- Maisnam Winson, Gangmei Niraj and Tongbram Jyotsana Debi. Jyotsana was Ateef's girlfriend, said police.
On July 15, 2017, Ateef was stabbed to death inside his room at the flat after a party. During the incident, Winson and Ateef were alone inside the room, which it was locked from inside.
Winson, who attempted to commit suicide, was found hanging from the ceiling of the room by his two other roommates. They rescued and admitted him to a hospital.
After the incident, police arrested Gangmei Niraj, while Ateef's father Abdul Malek filed a murder case against eight persons including Winson, Niraj and Jyostana on July 18 with Akbar Shah Police Station.
PBI took the charge of the case later on July 20, 2017 and the IO later arrested Winson for interrogation. As Winson pretended to have lost memory of the incident, a medical board was formed to check his mental condition, which certified him as mentally healthy.
After the incident, PBI sent the blood-stained bed-sheet, blood, knife and its handle to CID's forensic lab for DNA profiling, to confirm the killer's identity.
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