Death row convict Syed Ahmed had been using fake NID cards to evade law enforcers for more than two decades.
But that was not enough to save him as the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested him in a raid in Chittagong’s Akbar Shah area on Wednesday.
Syed Ahmed, now 60 years of age, was given the death penalty along with 11 others in 2007 over the murder of Jaane Alam in March 2002. The High Court later upheld the death sentence of 10 persons, including Ahmed.
“Ahmed had been hiding in different places after killing Jaane Alam. He severed all contact with his family and stayed in the coastal area for some time and later in Sitakunda. He also got two fake NID cards made to keep his identity secret,” said Chittagong-based RAB-7 chief Lt Col MA Yusuf.
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At one point, he worked as a cook at different shrines in Sitakunda and later as security guard in the Akbar Shah area.
The elite police unit carried out a raid there on Wednesday after confirming his location, said the senior RAB officer.
“Syed Ahmed went into hiding in Banshkhali upazila after killing Mahmudul Haque. From there he went to the sea with bandits, before returning to Lohagara four months later and taking part in the killing of Jaane Alam, elder brother of Mahmudul Haque.
“Jaane Alam was one of the witnesses in the case filed over his younger brother’s murder… The suspects thought that the case would stall if they killed Alam, and then they would be able to take over his properties as well,” said the senior RAB officer.
RAB later turned Ahmed over to Lohagara police, RAB-7 Assistant Director Nurul Absar told the media on Friday.