Prime accused among two more arrested in Primeasia student murder case

The authorities have arrested two more suspects, including the primary accused, in connection with the murder of Primeasia University student Zahidul Islam Parvez, who was fatally stabbed on campus in Banani.

This brings the total number of arrests in the case to six.

Police arrested Mahathir Hasan, 20, the third accused in the murder case, from Azad Tower in the Halishahar area of Chattogram on Wednesday morning, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) spokesperson Talebur Rahman confirmed.

Mahathir is a student of the English department at Primeasia University and hails from Gazipur’s Kapasia.

Earlier the same day, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested the main accused, Meheraz Islam, in Gaibandha.

RAB Headquarters confirmed the arrest in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the case statement, the incident began on Apr 19 when Parvez was joking with friends near a roadside snack shop opposite the university. Two female students from another institution were standing nearby. Meheraz and two others approached and questioned the laughter, leading to a heated argument.

Later, faculty members intervened and brought both sides to the proctor’s office, where the matter was seemingly resolved.

Not long after, the accused allegedly returned with sticks, knives, and machetes.

They reportedly attacked Parvez and his friend Tarikul Islam outside the university.

Parvez was stabbed in the chest, sustaining fatal injuries.

The case statement specifically alleges that Meheraz delivered the fatal blow with a sharp knife to Parvez’s left chest, “with the intention of ensuring his death.”