Before you continue
This case involves crimes against children. Casepin presents the record in neutral, non-graphic language. Choose whether to continue.
Solved case · 2015
Also known as Sheikh Mohammad Samiul Alam Rajon's murder · Sheikh Mohammad Samiul Alam Rajon's killing
The short answer
A 13-year-old boy, Sheikh Mohammad Samiul Alam Rajon, was tortured and beaten to death by a group of men in Sylhet, Bangladesh, on July 8, 2015, after being accused of theft. The attack was filmed and posted online, sparking nationwide outrage and a swift trial that led to convictions and death sentences for the men found responsible.
The coverage index
No one's coverage is attached to this file yet.
Know great coverage of this case?
A documentary, a podcast episode, a careful long-form video. Suggest it and an editor will review it before it appears here.
Suggest coverage for this caseThe case file
On July 8, 2015, in Sylhet, Bangladesh, 13-year-old Sheikh Mohammad Samiul Alam Rajon was accused by a group of men of stealing a bike. He was subsequently tied up, lashed, tortured, and beaten to death. Local police stated that Rajon died as a result of internal bleeding caused by the assault.
Among those suspected of carrying out the killing was Kamrul Islam, an individual who had previously been deported from Saudi Arabia. Following the killing, Islam fled back to Saudi Arabia. A three-member Bangladeshi police team subsequently coordinated with INTERPOL to locate and capture him there. Another individual, Nur Ahmed, was reported to have filmed the killing and circulated the footage on social media. A 28-minute video of the attack was posted online, which quickly drew widespread public outrage both locally in Sylhet and across Bangladesh.
The public reaction to the killing was significant. A "Justice for Rajon" movement formed, calling for swift justice for those responsible. Petitions seeking to raise funds for Rajon's family circulated, with some receiving more than 11,000 signatures. This public pressure, combined with concern over a series of child murders occurring around the same period, was linked to a comparatively rapid judicial process in the case.
On September 22, 2015, the Court of Sylhet charged thirteen individuals in connection with the killing, on counts including murder and assistance in murder. The individuals charged were Kamrul Islam, Firoz Mia, Shamim Alam, Quamrul Islam, Muhit Alam, Ali Haider, Moyna Mia, Nur Ahmed, Dulal Ahmed, Ayaz Ali, Taz Uddin Badal, Asmat Ali, Pavel Islam, and Ruhul Amin. Kamrul Islam was identified as the prime defendant in the case.
A verdict was announced approximately four months after the killing, with four of the accused sentenced to execution for their roles in Rajon's death. Judge Shahedul Karim, who had ordered the charges against the thirteen accused, requested that Bangladeshi publications release images of three of the accused — Kamrul Islam, Shamim Ahmed, and Pavel Islam — to assist in their identification and capture. Kamrul Islam, who had fled to Saudi Arabia after the killing, was ultimately arrested by police in Jeddah.
3 dated entries · 2015
Sheikh Mohammad Samiul Alam Rajon, 13, is tortured and beaten to death in Sylhet, Bangladesh, after being accused of theft. Footage of the attack is later posted on social media.
The Court of Sylhet charges thirteen individuals with murder, assistance in murder, and related offenses in connection with Rajon's killing.
A verdict is announced roughly four months after the killing; four defendants are sentenced to execution.
16 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
13-year-old boy tortured and beaten to death in Sylhet, Bangladesh, on July 8, 2015, after being accused of theft.[3]
Identified as the prime defendant; charged with murder, sentenced to execution, and arrested in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia after fleeing there following the killing.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses.[3]
Charged in connection with the killing; reported to have filmed the attack and circulated the footage on social media.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses; one of three accused whose images the judge asked to be published.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses; also identified as Shamim Ahmed, one of three accused whose images the judge asked to be published.[3]
One of thirteen individuals charged by the Court of Sylhet on September 22, 2015, with murder and related offenses.[3]
Judge who ordered the charges against the thirteen accused and requested publication of images of three suspects to aid their capture.[3]
From the record
3 cited
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
PressBBC NewsAccessed Jul 7, 2026
Pressaljazeera.comAccessed Jul 7, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 7, 2026
Trust
Are you family of someone named in this file? Corrections and removal requests from victims’ families are prioritized.
Near this case
SOLVEDListenShah Jalal Shrine, Sylhet, Bangladesh · 2000s
A grenade attack at the Shah Jalal Shrine in Sylhet, Bangladesh, on 21 May 2004 injured British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury and killed bystanders, including a police officer. The attack was carried out by Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami; three men, including group leader Mufti Abdul Hannan, were later convicted and executed.
UNSOLVEDListenKokrajhar, Sonitpur, and Chirang districts, Assam, India · 2000s
In December 2014, militants of the NDFB(S) faction killed around 65 unarmed Adivasi villagers in Assam's Kokrajhar, Sonitpur, and Chirang districts, triggering protests, retaliatory violence, and a major government security operation.
SOLVEDListenDiabari Beribadh area, Uttara, Dhaka, Bangladesh · 2020s
Delwoar Hossain, a 50-year-old executive engineer with Gazipur City Corporation in Bangladesh, was abducted and killed on May 11, 2020. His family and colleagues say his anti-corruption stance was the motive; police arrested a colleague, a hired killer, and a driver, but engineers' groups and Transparency International Bangladesh demanded further investigation into possible masterminds.
Credit: English Wikipedia·Editorial use·SourceSOLVEDListenDelta, Fulton County, Ohio · 2016
Sierah Joughin, a 20-year-old Ohio college student, was abducted while bicycling home in Fulton County on July 19, 2016, and found dead three days later. James Dean Worley, a neighbor with a 1990 abduction conviction who was not listed in any offender database, was convicted of her murder in 2018 and sentenced to death, prompting Ohio's Sierah's Law, which created a searchable violent-offender registry.
Credit: Via Wikipedia·Editorial use·SourceSOLVEDListenMonon High Bridge Trail, Delphi Historic Trails, Delphi, Indiana · 2010s
Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty German, 14, were murdered on February 13, 2017, while hiking the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, Indiana. The case went unsolved for over five years until Richard M. Allen was arrested in October 2022, convicted in November 2024, and sentenced to 130 years in prison.
Credit: English Wikipedia·Editorial use·SourceSOLVEDListenStar City, West Virginia (disappearance site); body found in Wayne Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania · 2012
Sixteen-year-old Skylar Neese disappeared from her Star City, West Virginia home in July 2012 and was found murdered months later. Two of her high school best friends, Rachel Shoaf and Shelia Eddy, pleaded guilty to killing her in a premeditated stabbing attack.
