বুধবার, ২৭শে মার্চ, ২০২৪ খ্রিস্টাব্দ ১৩ই চৈত্র, ১৪৩০ বঙ্গাব্দ

SI Akbar held near border

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Suspended sub-inspector Akbar Hossain Bhuiyan, the prime suspect in the killing of Rayhan in police custody in Sylhet, was detained along Bangladesh-India border in Dona area of the district’s Kanaighat upazila around 9:00am today.

At a press conference in the evening, Mohammad Farid Uddin, superintendent of police in Sylhet, said one of their teams detained Akbar while he was fleeing to India.

But in several video clips that went viral on Facebook today, it appeared that Akbar was detained by the people of the Khasi community in India’s Meghalaya before he was handed to a Bangladeshi citizen in Kanaighat.

Contacted, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) officials also said Akbar was detained by locals in India.

When reporters at the press conference asked the SP about the videos, he said Akbar was detained under direct supervision of police and some trusted friends helped them catch him.

“We take help from the general public and such friends have helped us,” he said without specifying much.

Akbar will soon be handed over to the PBI, which is investigating the case, the SP said.

Sylhet Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mofiz Uddin Ahmed said, “Sub-inspector Akbar will face prosecution for the heinous crime he has committed and no one’s above the law.”

PBI Special Superintendent Muhammad Khaled-uz-Zaman told The Daily Star, “Akbar was in India and was detained by the Khasi people near the border area. They then handed him over to the police.”

Contacted, BGB Battalion-19 Commanding Officer Lt Col Sayeed Hossain said, “We came to know that Akbar was in Shilchar of Assam for a while. Once he came to Meghalaya, he was detained by the Khasi community people.

“After detaining him, Khasi people contacted one Abdur Rahim, a resident of Kanaighat, who received Akbar from the Khasi people on the border. Rahim then contacted police and handed him over.”

Rayhan, a 33-year-old resident of Akhalia Neharipara area in Sylhet city, was allegedly detained and tortured by police on October 11.

He died at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital at 7:50am. His wife filed a case with Kotwali Police Station accusing several unnamed people the next day.

On October 12, Sylhet Metropolitan Police suspended four personnel including sub-inspector Akbar, who was the in-charge of a police outpost.

On October 13, PBI was tasked with the investigation of the case. Until yesterday, an assistant sub-inspector and two constables were arrested in the case.

‘SENIOR OFFICER ASKED ME TO FLEE’
Akbar fled from his workplace the day he got suspended.

“I was suspended, I could be arrested, and a senior officer told me to run away. The officer told me to come back two months later when everything would settle down,” Akbar was seen saying in one of the viral clips.

“Rayhan was arrested for mugging. I had not beat him up alone. Seven or eight other policemen also beat him up,” he said, adding that he fled to India via Bholaganj area of Companiganj.

After Akbar’s detention, Rayhan’s mother Salma Begum said that the case should be handed over to Rab for better investigation.

Thanking the Khasi community, she said, “Police failed to detain him. All I want is justice. If I see Akbar being punished for what he did to my son, I will be able to sleep in peace.”