Ashraful Haque Don, a prominent film actor known for his antagonist roles and an accused in the Salman Shah murder case, was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) early Sunday morning.
Immigration police detained the 54-year-old actor at approximately 5am as he attempted to board a flight to Saudi Arabia on a tourist visa. Kamrul Hasan Talukdar, the officer-in-charge (OC) of the Airport Police Station, confirmed Don’s intention to travel to Saudi Arabia.
The actor, who had reportedly been absconding for a long period, was intercepted because his name was on a “stop list” resulting from a travel ban imposed on all accused in the case. Following his arrest, he was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Dhaka Metro South and subsequently produced before the court.
According to the CID report submitted to the court, Don is the fourth accused in Case number 18, filed with Ramna Police Station on 21 October 2025.
The CID has requested the court to keep the accused in judicial custody, arguing that the investigation is ongoing and he requires intensive interrogation. The agency expressed concerns that if granted bail, Don might obstruct the investigation or flee the country again.
The CID report also revisited the events of 6 September 1996, the day of the actor’s death.
It stated that Salman Shah’s mother, Nilufar Zaman Chowdhury (Nila Chowdhury), his father, Komar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, and his younger brother, Shahran Shah, had visited his Eskaton Plaza residence that morning before their planned trip to Sylhet.
Upon being informed that the actor was asleep, the family left the residence, mentioning they would see him again on their way out of the city. Film producer Siddique was also present at the house during this time.
Later that morning, at approximately 11:30am, production manager Selim phoned the family to inform them that “something had happened” to Salman. Upon returning to the Eskaton residence, the family found the actor lying in his bedroom.
While being rushed to the hospital, marks from a rope were observed on his neck, and his face and feet had turned blue. He was first taken to Holy Family Hospital and later to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors pronounced that he had died some time prior to arrival.
The murder case was initiated by Salman’s uncle, Alamgir Kumkum, at Ramna Police Station on 21 October, following a Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court order on 20 October to treat the initial unnatural death case as a murder.
A travel ban on the accused was subsequently issued on 23 October last year after the Ramna Police sent a formal letter to immigration authorities.
The CID alleges that Ashraful Haque Don, along with other named and unnamed accomplices, conspired to murder Mohammad Shahriar Emon, popularly known as Salman Shah.
A total of 11 individuals have been accused in the case. The primary accused is Salman Shah’s former wife, Samira Huq.
The other accused include producer Aziz Mohammad Bhai, Ashraful Haque Don, Latifa Huq Lucy, David, Javed, Faruq, Ruby of Mayfair Beauty Centre, Abdus Sattar, Saju, and Rezvi Ahmed Farhad.
Investigating officers confirmed that the verification of new information and evidence is currently underway as part of the re-investigation.
