Ex-Teknaf OC Pradip, six other policemen land in jail in Sinha killing case

A Cox’s Bazar court has refused bail to Pradip Kumar Das, former OC of Teknaf Police Station, and six other policemen, sending them to jail for allegedly shooting dead former army major Sinha Md Rashed Khan.

Chattagram Bureaubdnews24.com
Published : 6 August 2020, 12:01 PM
Updated : 6 August 2020, 01:29 PM

Judge Md Helal Uddin of Cox’s Bazar Senior Judicial Magistrate Court passed the order on Thursday after the accused surrendered in court.

Those sent to jail also include Inspector Liakat Ali, former in-charge of Baharchhara investigation centre who fired the fatal shots at a checkpoint on the night of Jul 31.

The others are Sub-Inspector Dulal Raxit, ASI Liton Mia, and constables Safanur Karim, Kamal Hossain and Abdullah Al Mamun.

Two other accused, SI Tutul and Constable Md Mostafa, were still absconding, said Faridul Alam, public prosecutor at Cox’s Bazar District and Sessions Judges Court.

Police arrived in the court with OC Pradip around 5pm after Liakat and the others were taken to the court around 3:45pm.

The law enforcers beefed up security in the court area ahead of the appearance of the accused policemen. A large number of visitors and journalists crowded the court premises amid restrictions.

Sinha’s sister Sharmin Shahria Ferdous has named Liakat and Pradip as suspects No. 1 and 2 in the murder case.

Pradip was removed from duty on Wednesday, two days after 20 other policemen, including Liakat, were withdrawn to Cox’s Bazar Police Lines.

Sinha, 36, was a member of the Special Security Force, tasked with guarding the prime minister. His father late Ershad Khan was a deputy secretary at the finance ministry.

The former army officer had been staying at Nilima Resort in Himchhari of Cox’s Bazar with three others for around a month to film a travel documentary.

After his death, police said they fired in self-defence when he brandished a pistol after obstructing a search of his vehicle at the checkpoint at Shamlapur along the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive.

They also said they seized drugs from the vehicle and detained a person from the scene and another from the resort. Two cases have been initiated over the incident.

But the police account has been greeted with disbelief and there was doubt over whether Rashed had indeed pointed the gun at the policemen.

There were allegations that the members of the law-enforcement agency were late in taking him to hospital.

As the police account raised questions, the government has launched an investigation into the incident forming a joint committee with members from the army, police and administration.