Thirteen-year-old Ishayat Shahriar Opritam, the only son of Cumilla University Associate Professor Dr Nahida Begum, was allegedly deliberately killed to steal the iPhone he was carrying, Cumilla Superintendent of Police Md Anisuzzaman said.

The information was disclosed at a briefing and in a press release issued by the district police on Sunday (September 20).

The four suspects arrested in connection with the killing are Saiful Islam Tuhin, 19, his father Nure Alam; Mozammel Hossain Fahad, 16, son of Monir Hossain; Md Kamrul Hasan, 15, son of Abdul Quddus; and Md Siyam, 19, son of Selim Mia.

According to the police statement, Tuhin took Opritam to an isolated hill in the Sananda area of Lalmai Hill around 3:15pm on September 18. Preliminary investigation indicates that Opritam was killed there as part of a premeditated plan to steal his mobile phone.

Police said interrogation of the prime suspect, Tuhin, led to information about the involvement of Fahad, Kamrul Hasan and Siyam. They were subsequently detained. Based on information provided by Tuhin, police also recovered the mobile phone used by Opritam from his residence.

Police said they are investigating whether anyone else was involved in the killing. A charge sheet will be submitted to the court as soon as the investigation is completed.

Opritam went missing at around 3pm on Friday (September 18). Nearly 21 hours later, on Saturday (September 19), his body was recovered from a hill in the West Sananda area, near Magic Paradise Park in Sadar Dakshin upazila of Cumilla.