Four policemen among seven placed on remand over Sinha killing

 

A Cox's Bazar court has granted permission to the Rapid Action Battalion to interrogate in custody seven people, including four policemen, over the murder of retired major Sinha Md Rashed Khan.

The three other men were named as witnesses in two cases started by the police following the shooting death of Sinha.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Tamanna Farah issued the 7-day remand order on Wednesday.

The RAB had sought 10 days to grill constables Safanur Karim, Kamal Hossain and Abdullah Al Mamum, and ASI Liton Mia, who are implicated in a case started by Sinha's sister Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous.

The four of them were among seven policemen who surrendered to a court on Aug 6. The court subsequently remanded former Teknaf Police OC Pradip Kumar Das, Inspector Liakat Ali, a former in-charge of Baharchhara investigation centre, and SI Dulal Raxit for seven days.

Although Safanur, Kamal, Mamun and Liton weren't placed on remand at the time, the RAB was given permission to interrogate them at the jail gate.

The elite police unit later applied to remand them in custody and the judge set Aug 12 for the hearing.

The family have opened a condolence book at the home of retired army major Sinha Md Rashed Khan in Dhaka's Uttara after his death in police fire at a Cox's Bazar check-point.

Advocate Rakhal Mitra, the lawyer for the policemen, said, "The RAB had asked for 10 days to interrogate them. But the judge granted them seven days after the hearing."

Meanwhile, the RAB also sought 10 days to question Md Nurul Amin, Md Nezamuddin and Mohammad Ayaj, who were named as witnesses in the cases started by police over the killing of Sinha and alleged recovery of drugs from his car.

But they, too, have been placed on a 7-day remand following their arrest from Teknaf's Baharchhara Union on Aug 10.