Actor Don arrested as Salman Shah’s death returns to spotlight

Actor Mohammad Ashraful Haque Don, known for his villainous roles in Bangladeshi films, has been arrested in the murder case of Salman Shah.

Don was arrested at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Sunday while travelling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, Airport Police chief Kamrul Hasan Talukder said.

“Don was barred from travelling abroad in connection with the Salman Shah murder case. His name was also on the immigration stop list,” he told bdnews24.com.

CID officials later took Don away, said Ghulam Benazir, special superintendent of the CID’s Dhaka Metro West unit. He said Don had already been sent to court.

Don is among 11 suspects named in the case. A court imposed a travel ban on all of them last year.

Salman Shah’s body was recovered from his flat in Dhaka’s Eskaton on Sept 6, 1996. His father Komruddin Ahmed Chowdhury initially filed an unnatural death case but later alleged that his son had been murdered and sought to have it converted into a murder case.

The CID investigated the allegation and reported in 1997 that Salman had died by suicide. A judicial inquiry ordered in 2003 reached the same conclusion in 2014.

Salman’s mother Neela Chowdhury rejected the findings and named 11 people she alleged could have been involved in his death.

The case was later investigated by RAB and then the PBI. In 2020, the PBI said it had found no evidence of murder after examining 54 witnesses and seized evidence. It attributed Salman’s suicide to family disputes and emotional distress.

A magistrate accepted the PBI report in 2021, but Salman’s family challenged the decision. In October 2025, a sessions court allowed their revision petition and ordered a fresh investigation into the murder allegations.

Don had previously welcomed the PBI report, saying he had spent 24 years facing a false accusation over his friend’s death.