Detective Branch (DB) police have arrested 17-year-old Imran Munshi, the absconding accused in the gang-rape case of college student Lamia Akhtar from Dumki Upazila, Patuakhali. He was apprehended in the Airport Police Station area of Barisal on Sunday (May 11) following a targeted raid based on secret intelligence.
Imran, who had been frequently changing his location to evade capture, was the third accused in the case filed by Lamia on March 19. She was gang-raped the previous evening while returning from visiting her father’s grave. Her father, Jasim Hawlader, a political activist, was fatally shot by police in Dhaka in July 2024.
Two other accused—Shakib and Sifat Munshi—are already in custody at the Jessore Children’s Correctional Facility. A chargesheet against all three was submitted to the Patuakhali Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on May 7.
Tragically, Lamia was found dead by apparent suicide on April 26 in a rented house in Dhaka, a month after the assault. Her death sparked national outrage and deep public sympathy, especially given her identity as the daughter of a slain political activist. Her grieving mother, Ruma Begum, was hospitalized with a mental breakdown and is now receiving government-supported mental health care following court orders.
