FM Mizanur Rahaman, Ctg

Two teenagers, who were arrested by police for their alleged involvement in a murder in the port city’s Halishahar area last year, have been languishing in jail for 17 months without trial.

Family members alleged that police intimidated the duo after their arrest and forced one of them to make a confessional statement.

Police, however, brushed aside the allegation.

Interestingly, the person named as the victim in the confessional statement was later found alive by police and produced before a Chattogram court on May 2 last year.

It came to light recently when the families moved the High Court and made mention of this finding of police.

In response, the court asked the first investigation officer (IO) of the case to be present before it with the arrestees -- Durjoy Acharjee and Jibon Chakrabarty -- on October 22.

The boys, both aged about 18, used to work at GPH Ispat factory as labourers and lived in Halishahar’s Acharjee Para, said police and family members.

They prayed for bail at the lower court two to three times but were denied.

THE CASE

According to the case statement, police found a burnt and decomposed body at an abandoned house near Khalpar area of Halishahar on April 21 last year.

It was sent to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) morgue for autopsy and then buried through Anjuman Mufidul Islam.

The identity of the dead is yet to be known.

Md Shahjahan, the then sub-inspector of Halishahar Police Station, filed a case in this connection accusing unknown persons.

During the investigation, police recovered a SIM card packet from the spot and started investigation, taking it as a clue.

SI Shahjahan, now posted in Habiganj district, said police checked the SIM number’s location and call history and detained a schoolboy named Kanchan Das for questioning.

“At one point in the investigation, police learned that Kanchan and Jibon are friends and the SIM is registered in the name of Kanchan’s father. Jibon told police that he took the SIM packet from Kanchan and kept it in his shirt’s pocket but dropped it at the spot unknowingly.”

The then IO of the case, SI Saifullah, who is now posted in Sylhet Range Police, said the SIM card was activated just two days before the murder. It was switched off after the incident, he added.

“Analysing the call list, police spotted one of them [the arrestees], who is a worker of GPH Ispat. In the meantime, police also learned that another worker of GPH Ispat named Dilip was missing for a few days from the workplace.”

Later on April 25, officials arrested Jibon and Durjoy in the murder case while Kanchan was released after interrogation.