Sylhet Bureau :
After four weeks of massive manhunt police have arrested suspended police officer SI Akbar Hossain Bhuiya, the prime accused of Raihan murder case, from the Dona bordering area of Laxmiprasad Union in Kanaighat upazila of Sylhet District.
Sub-inspector of Kanaighat police station Swapan Chandra Sarkar confirmed the matter on Monday.
He said police received a tip-off that Akbar was captured Sunday night by a group of local Khasia ethnic community in the Meghalaya state of India and was being held in an area beside the border with Kanaighat of Bangladesh.
Later, a team of Kanaighat police on Monday noon arrested Akbar from the Bangladesh side of the border after the Indian Khasia group handed him over to one Rahim, a Bangladeshi citizen in the morning.
Sylhet Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Battalion 19 Commanding Officer Lt Col Md Rafiqul Islam confirmed the matter.
The policeman went into hiding after the death of Rayhan and managed to cross the border as law enforcement agencies were looking for him.
“A senior official had told me to go into hiding after the incident. I was not involved in the killing. I won’t flee bhai I won’t flee,” in a video clip Akbar was seen telling locals at a Khasia village in India who captured him on Monday.
The police officer was handed over to Bangladesh police through Dona bordering area in Kanaighat upazila by the Indian people at about 10.30am. Meanwhile, two video clips of Akbar’s capture are now floating on Facebook.
In the first video it is seen that Kashia people along with a number of Bangla speaking people tied up Akbar’s hand from the back and interrogating him.
Akbar told the locals, “A senior officer told me to go to hideaway and come back after two months when the situation becomes normal. …I did not kill anyone bhai…I’m not a killer” A man was seen asking Akbar’s name in the second video.
Akbar, sitting on the ground, was seen pleading to locals and said, “I am Akbar.”
In reply, a local said, “You Akbar, fled here (from home), killed a person for Tk 10,000, you killed Rayhan.”
Denying the allegation, the suspended SI said, “No, I didn’t kill him, I took him to hospital.”
A few people were then seen saying, “Do not beat him. He is a Bangladeshi. …He will face trial. They will bring him under justice.”
On October 11, Rayhan Ahmed, 34, a resident of Akhalia in Sylhet city, was beaten to death in police custody at Bandarbazar Police outpost, said the victim’s family.
His wife Tahmina Akter Tanni filed a case at Kotwali Police Station on the following day accusing a number of unidentified people.
Besides, the authorities on October 12 suspended four policemen, including the then in-charge of Bandarbazar Police outpost Akbar, in connection with the death.
Three policemen including Ashek were withdrawn on the same day.
The case was transferred to the PBI.
Besides, the SMP formed an investigation committee, headed by its Additional Deputy Commissioner Shahrier Al Mamun, to look into the death of Rayhan. After a primary investigation, they found some policemen guilty of foul play. After the autopsy, doctors said they found 111 injury marks on Rayhan’s body and two of his nails were pulled out.
On October 22, former SMP Commissioner Golam Kibria was transferred over widespread criticism of the role of police after the death of Raihan.
