Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has collected the DNA sample of former army warrant officer Hafizur Rahman in connection with the Tonu murder case, ten years after the case was filed. The sample was collected at the CID forensic lab in Dhaka before Hafizur was presented in a Comilla court, and the matching process has begun. The investigation officer, Inspector Md. Tarikul Islam, confirmed the development on Thursday evening, adding that efforts are ongoing to arrest other suspects.

In 2017, the CID reported finding sperm from three men on Tonu’s clothing but did not match the DNA profiles with any suspects. This is the first time a suspect’s DNA has been collected for matching. Hafizur was arrested from his home in Keraniganj on Tuesday and placed on a three-day remand by a Comilla court. Two other retired army personnel, Sergeant Zahid and soldier Shahin Alam, are also under suspicion.

The case dates back to March 20, 2016, when Tonu’s body was found inside the Comilla Cantonment area after she went missing while tutoring at a residence there.