Nupur Begum was desparate to see the body of her husband one last time as law enforcers allegedly forced her to sign a blank paper at Bason police station.
Rabiul's cousin Abdul Kalam narrated the tragic scene while talking about his death in police custody and the events that followed.
“Rabiul was known as a simple person in the area. There is no case against him. He sells yarn, buttons, buckles and various materials used in making clothes,” said Abdul Kalam.
Neighbour Ayatal said Rabiul's wife Nupur was taken from home in a police car at around 12am on Tuesday. They took a signature on a white paper from Nupur in the car while she insisted on seeing her husband.
Promising her that Rabiul will be returned they forced her to sign and dropped her off at home instead of taking her to the police station, he added.
The police said Rabiul was injured in a road accident. Later, Nupur Begum came to know that Rabiul died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
While talking to Dhaka Tribune, Nupur said that apart from Rabiul, the other three detainees including Delwar were released after taking Tk30,000 from them.
On the other hand, every time Rabiul's wife went to the police station, she was asked for a bribe of Tk5 lakh. Police took Tk85,000 from him on the day of his arrest, she added.
Also Read: Death in custody: Two ASIs withdrawn in Gazipur
Nupur said that police demanded Tk5 lakh to release Rabiul after finding transactions of Tk5 crore on his mobile phone.
The deceased Rabiul, son of Baki Mandal, was a yarn trader. He was shown arrested by the police on Tuesday for online gambling.
Two assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) of Bason police station of Gazipur were withdrawn over the death of Rabiul on Wednesday.
A three-member probe committee has been formed to investigate the incident.
When the news of Rabiul's death reached his relatives, they blocked the Bhogra bypass road in Gazipur on Wednesday morning.
They set fire to four motorcycles and a traffic police box at this time.