The bullet-riddled remains of a man in his twenties, claimed to have been murdered by police, was identified by his family yesterday at the Dhaka Medical College (DMC) morgue.
Family members claimed that Mirpur 11 resident, GM Nahid, 22, was detained and held for ransom by plain clothes officers of Pallabi police station whom they have named.
Nahid’s sister, Shila Akhter, told the Dhaka Tribune that a plain clothes team of Pallabi police, led by Sub-Inspector (SI) Towhidul Arefin and Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shubrata, picked Nahid up from the Prosikha Bhaban area on February 2 after he was identified by Tarek, an informant.
Police contacted her, asked her to contact them near Pallabi police station, showed her Nahid – still alive – and demanded Tk5 lakh for his release, Shila said.
Police told her if the ransom was not paid, they would charge Nahid for arson and threatened to kill him in a ‘crossfire’ if the family publicised the matter.
“We were able to arrange Tk50,000 and wanted to pay it to them on February 3 to have Nahid released.
“The police refused to take such a ‘small amount’ and took Nahid away. We never saw him again,” the victim’s brother, Sayed, said.
Family members submitted a complaint to the deputy commissioner of the Mirpur division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) after Pallabi police station refused to file the case.
The victim’s brother, Gazi Mohammad Sayed, identified the body at DMC mortuary yesterday.
The body, clad in jeans, a white jacket and a striped shirt and bearing bullet wounds, was found in Bhashantek on February 4.
Bhashantek police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abul Kalam Azad said five gunshot wounds had been noted on the victim’s left ear, left chest, knees and back.
Nahid’s sister alleged that the Pallabi police OC, SI and other officials were behind the murder.
Pallabi police station Officer-in-Charge Syed Ziauzzaman declined to file a disappearance case despite attempts to do so by the dead man’s family.
The family then filed a complaint with the Mirpur deputy police commissioner’s office on February 5.
On the night of February 7, the Pallabi police station OC asked family members to visit the DMC morgue to identify the body.
When approached, SI Towhidul, denied the allegation saying he did not know his accusers.
Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner of DMP (media and public relations) said that the police would take the incident into notice and investigate it if a complaint were filed.
Nuruzzman, sub-inspector of Bhashantek police station and the murder case’s investigating officer, said the police do not yet have any leads.
