A man named Moktar Hossain, 40, arrested in the case over the killing of Jubo Dal leader Golam Kibria in Dhaka’s Pallabi, has died in Detective Branch (DB) custody.
Police have formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident.
DC Muhammad Talebur Rahman of DMP’s Media and Public Relations Department confirmed the information to Dhaka Tribune.
He said the body has been kept at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. A three-member probe committee headed by Additional Police Commissioner (Admin), Md Sarwar has been formed to look into the matter.
According to police, Moktar fell ill while in DB custody. He was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Moktar had been living in Pallabi with his family. He was arrested by DB from the area on Thursday for his alleged involvement in the murder of Jubo Dal leader Golam Kibria.
Around 11:15am on Friday, he was brought unconscious to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where on-duty doctors declared him dead after examination.
DC Talebur Rahman said that on November 17, Golam Kibria was shot dead in Pallabi by several armed attackers. His wife filed a case with Pallabi Police Station, naming five identified and seven to eight unidentified suspects.
The case was later handed over to DB for proper investigation and swift arrests. Based on the case, DB conducted raids in different parts of Shariatpur on Thursday and arrested three suspects—Nazrul, Masum, and Zaman. They initially confessed to their involvement and claimed that the weapon and ammunition used in the attack were kept with Moktar Hossain.
Based on this information, a DB team conducted a raid at a garage in Pallabi around 6pm on Thursday to arrest Moktar. Sensing police presence, he attempted to flee but was eventually detained with the help of locals.
Police said he was beaten by the crowd during the arrest. Following Moktar’s lead, DB recovered eight rounds of pistol ammunition from a rickshaw garage in Pallabi.
DC Talebur Rahman added that Moktar was brought to the DB office, where he began feeling unwell around 1:30am. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, treated, and released with medication. He was then taken back to the DB office.
On Friday around 10am, when police called him for food, he did not respond. He was rushed again to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.