The body of six-year-old Muntaha, who went missing from her home on November 3, was found in a pond in Sylhet’s Kanaighat upazila early today, police said.

Muntaha Aktar Jerin was the daughter of Shamim Ahmed of Bharafoud village in Birdal union of Kanaighat upazila.

Md Abdul Awal, Officer-in-Charge of Kanaighat police station, confirmed that the body was recovered from the pond near his house around 4 am.

He suspected that the body was thrown into the pond after he was killed and said that there were wounds on his body and his throat was tied with ropes.

Meanwhile, Muntaha’s home teacher Shumi Akhter and two other people were detained by the police in connection with the murder.

Their identities were not known, but police said they lived near Muntaha’s home.

“We detained Muntaha’s home teacher last night on suspicion. He was speaking incoherently, which prompted us to tell Muntaha’s family to keep watch on the home teacher’s house,” Awal said.

“At dawn, Muntaha’s family members saw the mother of the teacher of the house pulling the girl’s body from a nearby stream and dropping it in a pond. On information, police immediately reached the spot, recovered the body and detained the teacher’s mother and daughter,” Awal said. added.

OC also said that the teacher and mother of the house confessed to the murder and the cause of the murder is currently being investigated.

Muntaha’s father, Shamim Ahmed, confirmed the matter, saying that the body is currently at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

In the diary the father kept at the police station, he claimed that Muntaha was kidnapped in a planned manner.

Muntaha had been missing since November 3, when she went out to play with other children in the afternoon. Despite searches around the area, family members could not find any trace of him.

The family also took to social media to ask for the public’s help in finding the girl. They announced a reward of Tk 100,000 to those who find him.