College student found dead in Dhaka flat

A college student was found dead in a flat in Dhaka's Sabujbagh area on Tuesday night.

The body of Yougen Hanasie Gonsalves, 22, a second-year degree student of Notre Dame College, bore at least 15 stab marks, doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital said after an autopsy.

Police are looking for at least two girls, suspecting their involvement.

One of the girls, clad in burka, was seen in the CCTV footage of a nearby building accompanying Yougen to the flat around 3:30pm on the day, said police. Law enforcers recovered Yougen's body around 10:30pm.

Neither Yougen nor the girl used to live in the flat, rented in January by another girl.

The girl who rented the flat identified herself as “Sabita” and also paid Tk 5,000 in advance, Tabassum Mehjabin, the building owner, told The Daily Star yesterday

Tabassum said on Sunday, Sabita introduced Yougen to her as  "brother" and said she wanted to move in with her family in February but it was being delayed for some family issues.

Before that, Sabita and another woman, who she said was her mother, brought some old furniture to the flat, she said.

Tabassum said Sabita and the girl seen in the CCTV camera are not the same person.

On Tuesday, Tabassum said Yougen arrived at the building around 3:30pm. He said he wanted to clean the flat as they would shift there soon. He even talked to Tabassum's mother around 5pm, she said.

The incident of Yougen's murder came to light when people living in the next flat saw the door open and informed Tabassum's mother, she said.

When her mother went to check, she found Yougen lying in a pool of blood with his hands tied, said Sub-inspector Md Kamruzzaman of Sabujbagh Police Station. Informed, police recovered the body and sent it for autopsy, he added.

Sohel Mahmud, head of the forensic medicine department at DMCH, said Yougen might have been killed with sharp weapons. The incident may have taken place between 9:30pm and 10pm.

Meanwhile, Yougen's family has no idea about his connection with Sabita or her family or the girl in burka seen in CCTV footage.

“My brother used to live with our cousin in Narinda. Why would he rent a house?” said his sister Cindy Gonsalves.

She demanded immediate arrest of the killer(s).

Talking to reporters at DMCH, Yougen's brother-in-law Rumen Pinaru said Yougen went to his sister's house in Nadda on Friday. “He left the house on Tuesday morning to go to college,” he said.

 “We were anxious as he did not return till 10pm. His cell phone was found switched off. We were informed of his death around 11:45pm and identified the body at the flat,” he said.

Rumen said they were unaware of his feud with anyone.