Two policemen have been arrested for allegedly helping top drug trader Raja, alias Pichchi Raja, escape from custody while he was being taken back to Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur after a court appearance in Dhaka.
The arrestees are Sub-Inspector Prabir Kumar, who was assigned to the prison van, and Nayek Kamal Hossain, the van driver.
Investigators suspect the two policemen allowed Raja to escape in exchange for a large sum of money. They also suspect that a false account was later given to make it appear that Raja had fled from Baimail in Gazipur.
Preliminary findings indicate that Raja actually escaped from police custody in Dhaka’s Tantibazar area rather than Baimail, investigators said.
According to police and prison officials, 30 inmates were taken from Kashimpur Central Jail to Dhaka on 27 September for court hearings. They were being taken back to jail after the proceedings when Raja escaped.
Police initially claimed that the prison van reached Baimail at around 8:30pm, where Raja asked to get down to use a toilet. SI Prabir allegedly allowed him to leave the van, after which he ran away.
The remaining 29 inmates were later taken back to Kashimpur Central Jail.
The account, however, came under scrutiny during the investigation. Police personnel on duty reportedly gave conflicting accounts of where Raja had escaped, prompting investigators to examine the incident further.
Investigators subsequently found that Raja had escaped in Tantibazar, sources said.
Following the incident, SI Prabir Kumar, constables Md Zakir Hossain, Md Sakib and Shakil Hossain, and van driver Nayek Kamal Hossain were suspended for alleged negligence.
The five were later questioned by an inquiry committee formed to investigate the escape.
Based on the preliminary investigation and questioning, SI Prabir and Nayek Kamal were arrested on allegations of helping Raja escape. The other three police personnel remain under scrutiny, according to investigators.
Saheb Ali Pathan, deputy commissioner (South) of the Gazipur Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch, told TIMES that the officers assigned to the prison van had claimed Raja escaped from Gazipur.
“However, our preliminary investigation has established that Raja escaped from Tantibazar in Dhaka. The investigation is still ongoing,” he said.
Mohammad Iftekhar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Konabari Police Station and a member of the inquiry committee, said a prison van is not supposed to stop while travelling between a jail and a court unless an emergency requires it to stop at the nearest police station.
“There was no reason for the van to stop at the place mentioned by the police personnel,” he said.
He added that departmental cases had been filed against all five police personnel following their suspension. The inquiry committee will submit its report after completing the investigation, after which departmental proceedings will begin.
Raja, whom police describe as a top drug trader in Mohammadpur, was arrested on 19 May. He faces several cases.
Police have been conducting a manhunt for him.
