Outrage over lynching 13-year-old continues in Bangladesh

Dhaka

Outrage over the lynching of a 13-year-old boy mounted in Bangladesh Tuesday, with more protests planned over the murder which was captured on video, as one of the suspects confessed after being arrested in Saudi Arabia.

Bangladeshi police have now arrested five people over the July 8 killing of Samiul Alam Rajon, who was tied to a pole and then subjected to a sickening assault in which he pleaded for his life.

The 28-minute video of Samiul, which went viral after being posted on social media, has sparked an outpouring of anger, with petitions and demonstrations demanding the attackers face the death penalty.

Samiul was accused by his attackers of stealing a bicycle in the northeastern city of Sylhet although his family insist that the youngster was innocent.

Local police chief Akhter Hossain said his officers had arrested three people overnight, including the wife of one of the suspects and two men who were at the scene. Police were also hunting for "two others who directly took part" in the beating, Hossain said.

"It's a brutal and heinous murder and we won't spare anyone," he added. The latest arrests bring the number of people in custody to five, including the alleged ringleader Muhit Alam and his main accomplice Kamrul Islam who was arrested in Saudi Arabia, according to Bangladesh's foreign ministry.