Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Suspended sub-inspector Akbar Hossain Bhuiyan of Sylhet Metropolitan Police was placed on a seven-day remand in connection with the custodial death of Rayhan Ahmed.

Sylhet Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Abul Kashem granted the remand, said the case’s investigation officer Awlad Hossain, who is an inspector with Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).

According to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and multiple footages that went viral on social media, Akbar was detained by the members of Khasi community in India’s Meghalaya.

Mohammad Farid Uddin, superintendent of Sylhet police, however, claimed that one of their teams detained Akbar while he was trying to flee the country.

Akbar was detained in Dona area along Bangladesh-India border in the district’s Kanaighat upazila around 9:00am on Monday, he added.

Rayhan, 33, of Akhalia Neharipara area in Sylhet city, was allegedly detained and tortured by police on early October 11.

He died at Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital at 7:50am. His wife filed a case with Kotwali Police Station accusing several unnamed people the next day.

On October 12, Sylhet Metropolitan Police suspended four personnel including sub-inspector Akbar, who was the in-charge of a police outpost.

On October 13, PBI was tasked with the investigation of the case.

Including Akbar, a sub-inspector, an assistant sub-inspector and two constables were arrested in the case.

WHO ASKED AKBAR TO FLEE?

In a footage that went viral on social media, Akbar was seen telling his detainees (Khasi detainees in Meghalaya) that some high official asked him to run away.

However, a day after his detention and 15 days after the submission of a probe report by Police Headquarters’ committee, no senior officer of Sylhet Metropolitan Police was in question.

The probe body, headed by Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Mohammed Ayub, was formed on October 19 and the body submitted report on October 27.

During probing, Sub-inspector Hasan Uddin, newly appointed in-charge of the outpost, was suspended on October 21 for helping Akbar to run away.

Contacted, Azbahar Ali Sheikh, deputy commissioner (north) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, said, “We still haven’t got any further instruction based on the probe report. No senior officer is still in question but we’ve heard that Akbar told about a senior officer in a video.

“As Akbar is now on a seven-day remand with PBI, we’ll also try to quiz him about the senior officer who suggested him to flee”, he said.