A suspect in the murder of Jubo Dal leader Golam Kibria died while in the custody of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB).
The suspect, Moktar Hossain, 40, had been arrested on Thursday in the Pallabi murder case.
Police said Moktar remained in DB custody after his arrest. Around 10am on Friday, officers called him for breakfast but received no response. They rushed him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where doctors declared him dead.
In a statement, DMP’s Media and Public Relations Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Talebur Rahman said the Kibria murder case had been transferred to DB for a proper investigation and the quick arrest of those involved.
Following the transfer, DB conducted raids in several parts of Shariatpur on Thursday and arrested three suspects – Nazrul, Masum and Jaman. Police said the three admitted involvement and claimed that the murder weapon and bullets were in possession of Moktar.
A DB team then conducted an operation in Pallabi on Thursday evening to arrest Moktar. He tried to flee when he noticed police, but locals caught him. Officers took him to the DB office. There, around 1:30am, he became ill and was taken to DMCH. After initial tests and treatment, doctors released him. DB brought him back to their office.
On Friday morning, officers tried to call him for breakfast. When he did not respond, they took him to DMCH, where doctors declared him dead. Police sent the body to the morgue for a post-mortem examination.
DMP formed a three-member committee, led by Additional Police Commissioner (Admin) Mohammad Sarwar, to investigate the death.
According to the case details, Golam Kibria was sitting in a sanitary shop in Pallabi on 17 November, talking with the shop owner and his friend Masud Rana. At 6:42pm, Jony Bhuiya, Sohag and Rokon entered the shop under the alleged direction of Sohel and Masum.
The attackers opened fire on Kibria before anyone could react. He was taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Kibria’s wife, Sabiha Akter Dina, filed a murder case at Pallabi Police Station. She named five people and accused seven to eight unidentified suspects.
