Former sub-inspector (SI) Akbar Hossain Bhuiyan, the prime accused in the high-profile custodial death case of Rayhan Ahmed in Sylhet, has been released on bail.
Following the High Court’s bail order, the lower court confirmed the decision on Sunday. Upon receiving the relevant documents, the prison authorities released Akbar the same afternoon.
Senior Jail Superintendent of Sylhet Central Jail-2, Prashanta Kumar Banik told the media that after the High Court granted bail and the lower court confirmed it, the prison received the necessary documents and released Akbar.
Akbar was initially held at Sylhet Central Jail but was transferred to Sylhet Central Jail-2 in late March. Sylhet Central Jail-2 houses prisoners under the jurisdiction of Sylhet Metropolitan Court, so he was transferred accordingly, Banik added.
On October 10, 2020, Rayhan Ahmed was picked up and tortured at the Bandarbazar outpost of Sylhet Metropolitan Police on the night of October 10, 2020, and died the following day.
After a case was filed by Rayhan’s wife under the Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, a Sylhet Metropolitan Police investigation confirmed evidence of torture at the outpost.
On October 12, 2020, SI Akbar, then in charge of the outpost, was suspended along with three other officers, and three more were withdrawn.
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), which took over the case, arrested three individuals including Constable Harun. Akbar was arrested on November 9 at the Kanaighat border in Sylhet and has been in custody since.
On May 5, 2021, the PBI submitted the chargesheet to court, naming SI Akbar as the prime accused.
Other accused include ASI Ashek Elahi, Constables Md. Harun-or-Rashid and Titu Chandra Das, SI Md Hasan Uddin (then second-in-command at the outpost), and Akbar’s relative Abdullah Al Noman, a journalist from Companiganj upazila.
