A resident of Pakulla village in Sonatala upazila of Bogra became a murder suspect after a used phone he had bought was traced by police in connection with a murder.
Khokon Sarkar, 36, a curd seller, claims he has been falsely accused in the case and denied all charges.
Sarkar also lamented that he had been remanded three times and spent 13 months in jail, whereas police did not take any action against the phone seller.
Inspector Tipu Sultan, investigating officer in the case, said he arrested Khokon after finding evidence of his involvement through the use of information technology.
The inspector filed charges against four people in the case, including Sarkar, on July 11, 2020.
Jamalpur Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) is currently investigating the case again as the accused has raised objections, said Inspector Tipu.
According to the case statement, miscreants killed Jahangir Alam, 25, from Tebir Char village in Jamalpur district and buried his body on May 12, 2019. They took his phone, which was of the “Western” brand.
Jahangir’s body was discovered in a field in Ananda Bazar three days after the incident. Subsequently, the father of the deceased filed a case with Jamalpur sadar police station.
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Tipu Sultan, inspector of Narundi Police Investigation Centre in Malpur district, traced the location of Jahangir's phone a year after the incident and arrested Khokon Sarkar, who was in possession of it.
After Sarkar spent 13 months in jail, his wife finally managed to gather money needed to pay his bail during Ramadan this year.
Sarkar said he has been having a tough time managing income for his family after his release amid the Covid-19 pandemic. He also claims he has never travelled to Jamalpur.
However, Inspector Sultan said Sarkar frequently travelled to Jamalpur to sell curd.
During questioning, Sarkar said he had bought the phone for Tk1,250 from Shubho Kumar, owner of Mithun Telecom in Horikhali Bazar, Sonatala.
Kumar did not give a receipt as they were previous acquaintances, claims Sarkar.
Police questioned Shubho Kumar but did not arrest him. Shubho had at first admitted to selling second-hand phones in his shop, but later took back his words. He also denied selling any second-hand phone to Sarkar.
Sarkar on Saturday claimed he began receiving incessant phone calls after inserting a SIM card in the phone. At one stage, he picked up the call and hurled abuse at the caller, who turned out to be Inspector Tipu Sultan.
Sarkar claims he was accused in the murder case because he slandered the inspector.