Nearly three decades after popular actor Salman Shah was found dead at his Eskaton residence in Dhaka, the case has gained fresh momentum following the arrest of actor Ashraful Haque alias Don, one of the accused in a murder case filed over his death.
Don, 54, the fourth accused in the case, was arrested recently after remaining absconding for years.
The arrest has raised fresh hopes among Salman Shah’s family that the mystery surrounding his death will finally be resolved.
A source involved in the investigation at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said police were giving the case priority and working to uncover the circumstances surrounding the actor’s death.
“Police are working on the case. Efforts are underway to arrest the remaining accused, including Salman Shah’s wife, Samira Haque,” the source said.
In a petition seeking Don’s custody, CID investigation officer Inspector Arifur Rahman said the complainant had alleged that Don, in collusion with the other accused named in the first information report, killed Salman Shah as part of a premeditated plan.
The officer said Don had been absconding for a long time and needed to be questioned as part of the ongoing investigation. A court later sent him to jail.
During the hearing, state lawyer Omar Faruk Faruqi said an attempt had been made to abduct Salman Shah’s younger brother. A case was filed over the incident at Cantonment Police Station in 1997.
According to a confessional statement by accused Rezvi Ahmed alias Farhad, Don allegedly had an illicit relationship with Samira Haque and, along with Faruk and Rezvi, killed Salman Shah for Tk1.2 million.
The statement alleged that they first rendered Salman Shah unconscious and then hanged him to make his death appear to be a suicide.
Additional Inspector General of Police and CID chief Barrister Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain told Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday that the investigation was continuing.
“One person has been arrested. The investigation officer is working on the case,” he said.
Salman Shah, whose birth name was Chowdhury Mohammad Shahriar Emon, died at his Eskaton residence on September 6, 1996.
Born on September 19, 1971, in Zakiganj upazila of Sylhet, he was the eldest son of Komr Uddin Chowdhury and Neela Chowdhury.
His death triggered a nearly three-decade legal battle, with his family consistently disputing findings that he had died by suicide.
Salman Shah’s maternal uncle Alamgir Kumbkum told Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday that Don’s arrest had brought some relief to the family.
He also alleged that Salman Shah’s household workers Abul, Monowara and Dolly, who were present at the residence on the day of his death, had not been properly questioned.
“I went to Abul’s village home looking for him. He has built a house there spending around Tk8 million. Where did Abul get so much money? I believe those involved in the killing gave him the money,” Kumbkum said.
He urged police to arrest and question the remaining accused, including Samira Haque.
“The police took Samira’s phone number from us. The police are saying that we should contact her and help them arrest her. That is not my job,” he said.
“Arresting Samira is the responsibility of the police, not mine. Perhaps they are deliberately not arresting her.”
Salman Shah’s lawyer Faruk Ahmed said the family had provided police with all the assistance requested to locate and arrest Samira.
“Why they are not arresting her despite this, only the police know,” he said.
After Salman Shah’s body was recovered from his residence, his father, Komr Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, filed an unnatural death case.
The family, however, alleged that Salman Shah had been murdered. His mother, Neela Chowdhury, said police registered an unnatural death case instead of a murder case when the family sought to report the death as a killing.
The CID submitted its final report to the court on November 3, 1997, concluding that Salman Shah had died by suicide.
His father challenged the report before the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court, which ordered a judicial inquiry on May 19, 2003.
A judicial inquiry report submitted on August 3, 2014, also described the death as an “unnatural death.”
Neela Chowdhury filed another revision petition on April 19, 2015. On August 21, 2016, the court ordered the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the case.
On February 25, 2020, PBI Inspector Sirajul Islam submitted a 600-page investigation report to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka.
The report concluded that Salman Shah had not been murdered and had died by suicide, citing five reasons.
Neela Chowdhury challenged the report in a petition submitted in October 2021, alleging that it had been prepared without a proper investigation and under the influence of the accused.
After hearing the petition, Dhaka’s Sixth Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Jannatul Ferdous Ibn Haque ordered the filing of a murder case over Salman Shah’s death on October 20, 2025.
The following day, October 21, a murder case was filed at Ramna Police Station, with 11 people named as accused, including Samira Haque.
The other accused are Samira’s mother Latifa Haque Lucy, businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai, David, Javed, Faruk, Ruby, A Sattar, Saju, Rezvi Ahmed alias Farhad and Don.
Ramna police subsequently informed immigration authorities to prevent the accused from leaving the country.
The case is now being investigated by the CID, with Don’s arrest marking the first major development in the case in years.