Bangladesh Police with the assistance of the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) yesterday brought back Saudi Arabia immigrant Kamrul Islam, the prime accused in teenager Rajon murder case.
A three-member police team led by Additional Superintendent Mahbubul Karim reached Dhaka with Kamrul in the afternoon, produced him before the media and left for Sylhet after an hour.
The other members of the team are Sylhet Metropolitan Police Additional Deputy Commissioner Md Barkat Ullah and Assistant Superintendent of Police AFM Nizam Uddin. They went to Saudi Arabia on Monday.
Kamrul, who fled to Saudi Arabia on July 10, was caught by expatriate Bangladeshis in Jeddah on July 13 and handed over to the police after they came to know about a video on Facebook. The video showed how 13-year-old boy Samiul Alam Rajon was beaten to death in Sylhet’s Kumargaon area by Kamrul and his cohorts on July 8, falsely accusing him of stealing a rickshaw van.
Rajon was brutally tortured in front of a workshop near Sultan Ali Market beside Dhaka-Sunamganj road. His father filed the murder case.
So far, 35 prosecution witnesses out of 38 have testified in the case at the Sylhet Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court. The trial began on October 1.
Police said that Kamrul would be produced before the court today. Two of the 13 accused in the case are still absconding.
Kamrul is the 10th accused to be brought back home with the help of Interpol.
The National Central Bureau (NCB) of the Police Headquarters on July 21 issued a red notice against Kamrul through the Interpol. The Saudi government allowed the extradition even though the two countries have no extradition treaty at the request of the Bangladesh government.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina too expressed her resolve to try the perpetrators of child abuse. Moreover, Home Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that stern action would be taken against the police members if their negligence in arresting the murderers of Rajon is found.
Assistant Inspector general of Police Nazrul Islam yesterday told reporters that Mahbubur Rahman Bhuiyan, AIG of the NCB (Interpol), had played an important role to bring back Kamrul.
He said that the police were trying their best to arrest the two fugitives.
In reply to another question, Nazrul said that some police officers had been suspended for negligence in duties. “Bangladesh Police cannot take responsibilities for such types of police members,” he added.
The officer-in-charge and two sub-inspectors of Jalalabad police were suspended after Rajon’s father alleged that they had taken bribes from Kamrul to allow him to flee the country.
Rajon’s father Sheikh Azizur Rahman alleged that when he had gone to file a case over the murder of his son, Kamrul’s family offered him Tk5 lakh to settle the issue without pursuing any legal action.
Azizur also said that he had found OC (investigation) Alamgir Hossain and SI Aminul Islam holding a private meeting with Kamrul when he first went to Jalalabad police station. SI Aminul also misbehaved with him, Azizur added.
