Jagannath University student Jobayed Hossen's was murdered in a premeditated attack allegedly orchestrated by Shabnam Barsha, whom he tutored, and her longtime boyfriend Mahir Rahman, police said today.

According to the police, the duo had begun planning the murder on September 25.

On the day of the incident, Mahir arrived with two friends. They had reportedly purchased two new switch blades for the killing. Mahir then stabbed Jobayed multiple times at Barsha's instruction, said Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Bangshal Police Station.

"It was a planned murder by Barsha and Mahir. They had been in a relationship for nine years. But at one point, Barsha grew emotionally attached to Jobayed and rejected Mahir, telling him she liked Jobayed instead," OC Rafiqul said.

"Later, she told Mahir she no longer liked Jobayed. That is when they started planning the murder."

Police said Barsha initially denied any involvement during interrogation.

However, when the police interrogated her in front of Mahir, both confessed, the OC said. Four people, including Barsha, are now in police custody.

The murder case groundwork is at its final stage, said the police.

Jobayed Hossen was a statistics student at Jagannath University (2019–20 session). He was also president of the Cumilla District Students' Welfare Association and a member of the convening committee of JnU Chhatra Dal.

For the past year, Jobayed had been tutoring Barsha, in Physics, Chemistry and Biology at her residence, 'Roushan Villa', at 15 Nur Box Lane in Armanitola, Old Dhaka.

Jobayed was stabbed to death, on Sunday, in the stairwell while heading to his third floor flat around 4:45 pm. Blood stains were found from the ground floor up to the third floor landing, where his body was discovered face down.

Soon after the incident, Jagannath University students blocked Tati Bazar intersection and staged protests in front of Bangshal Police Station, demanding immediate arrests. Barsha was taken into custody around 11:00pm the same evening from her residence under police escort.

Jobayed was laid to rest at his ancestral home in Cumilla yesterday.