iPhone Motive Emerges in Court Statements Over Cumilla Schoolboy’s Killing

Court-recorded confessional statements by three suspects arrested over the killing of seventh-grade student Ishayat Shahriar Opratim have reportedly revealed that the suspects allegedly planned to take his iPhone, sell it and divide the proceeds among themselves.

Opratim, a student of Cumilla Border Guard Public School, was allegedly targeted because of the phone he was carrying, according to the statements submitted before the court.

On September 18, Opratim reportedly met suspect Saiful Islam alias Tuhin near the main gate of Cumilla University in the afternoon. According to Tuhin’s statement, he subsequently took Opratim towards the Sananda West Para area, describing the location as an isolated place near a hill associated with his uncle Shah Alam.

Statements from the other two juvenile suspects also contain similar accounts of the events leading up to the incident. One of them reportedly met Opratim in the Kotbari Board Market area after 2pm before heading towards the hill with another boy. The statement says the other boy was informed about the alleged killing plan before they went there.

The third juvenile reportedly said he met the other boy near a school at around 3:40pm, where he learned about the alleged plan. They reached the hill after 4pm and found Opratim and Tuhin sitting there.

According to all three statements, the four spent some time talking before the situation escalated. Opratim’s iPhone was then taken from him.

One of the juveniles reportedly said he asked Opratim for the phone and Opratim handed it over. After using it for some time, he passed the device to Tuhin. Tuhin’s statement also reportedly confirms that the phone eventually came into his possession.

A dispute then allegedly broke out between Opratim and Tuhin over the phone. Police had previously said Opratim attempted to take the iPhone back but was prevented from doing so.

The three statements reportedly contain similar accounts regarding the first assault. According to the statements, Tuhin initially slapped Opratim before striking him on the head with the handle of a spade lying nearby. He then allegedly instructed the other two to attack him as well.

The two juvenile suspects also reportedly described Tuhin as the first person to strike Opratim with the spade handle.

The statements also contain similar accounts of the alleged motive. Tuhin reportedly referred to their desire to obtain Opratim’s iPhone. One of the juveniles allegedly told investigators that the plan was to sell the phone and divide the money. The third suspect reportedly gave a similar account.

There are some differences in the statements regarding what happened immediately after Opratim died and how the suspects left the scene. However, all three statements reportedly indicate that the iPhone remained with Tuhin.

Opratim went missing after leaving home on September 18. His body was recovered the following day from an isolated forest area in the Lalmai hills of Sananda village under Cumilla Sadar South.

Saiful Islam alias Tuhin, 19, and two juvenile suspects were arrested in connection with the case. On the night of September 20, all three reportedly gave confessional statements before the Cumilla Senior Judicial Magistrate Court under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The statements have provided investigators with accounts of the alleged planning, sequence of events and motive behind the killing. The allegations, however, remain subject to the judicial process and determination by the court.