A Narayanganj court has acquitted six accused in a murder case where the man presumed to be abducted and murdered returned alive four years after filing of the case.
Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate Farhana Ferdous passed the order on Thursday, Narayanganj court police Inspector Asaduzzaman confirmed.
The accused were Taslima, 20, her father Rakmat Ali, 55, brother Rafiqul Islam, 32, cousins, Md Sohel, 25, and Sagar, 21, and maternal uncle Sattar Molla, 37.
Defendant's lawyer Adv Emdad Hossain Sohail said the court acquitted the accused after the three investigating officers of the case appeared before the court and explained the situation.
Mentioning that the complainants harassed the accused on false charges, the lawyer said he will file a case against the plaintiffs demanding compensation for the harassment.
He said: “Taslima and Rafiq were in jail for one and a half years and 3 others including Taslima's father were in jail for different terms.”
He further mentioned that although the accused were remanded more than once, the investigating officers did not investigate the case properly. “I have filed a petition with the court in this regard.”
Taslima, now acquitted in the case, said that she was tortured in this false case during police remand.
Echoing other victims, she said: “I was convicted in a false case without committing any murder or kidnapping. I demand punishment and compensation for those who have harassed us with this false case.”
On September 30, Mamun of Shakharibazar village of Chandpur's Matlab, a victim of the alleged abduction, murder and disappearance, appeared in court in person.
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His father, Abul Kalam -- currently staying in Kuwait -- filed the case with Fatullah Model police station against six people on May 9, 2016.
On October 2, the court ordered the three investigating officers of the case to appear in person and explain the incident.
Fatullah Model police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Mizanur Rahman, SI Zia Uddin Ujjal from CID, and Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Harun Or Rashid from CID, submitted their report and explained in person before the court on Thursday.
Confirming the matter, APP Syed Zillur Rahman, who represented the state in the case, said the court will take decision after reviewing the case documents in this regard.
What happened earlier?
According to the case file, Taslima had a relationship with Mamun. She stayed in a rented flat in Lamapara area of Narayanganj's Fatullah, and worked as a garment worker there.
The case details also stated Taslima took Mamun to her aunt's house, after which he went missing.
Meanwhile in 2016, Maksuda Begum, wife of one of the accused, Sattar Molla, gave her confessional statement as a witness of the "murder and disposal of Mamun's body" under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
In her statement she said her husband Sattar had beaten her and intimidated her not to disclose the incident for two years.
In the untrue description, she said Sattar and the other accused in the case, fed Mamun drugs which killed him. She claimed that her husband locked her in a room after the murder. From a window of the room, she saw Mamun's body being moved in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw.
Maksuda's husband Sattar said, his wife gave the false statement because of marital disputes.
