Six policemen have been placed under arrest for alleged torture in custody leading to the death of businessman Shamim Sarkar in Savar’s Hemayetpur.
Dhaka district Superintendent of Police Habibur Rahman said the six policemen arrested were Ashulia Police Station Sub Inspector Emdadul Haque, Savar Police Station’s Additional Sub Inspector Akidul Islam, Sub Inspector Sazzad Rumon and three other constables Modassed, Ramzan and Yousuf.
They were arrested on Thursday and are being questioned at the Savar police station.
“They have already been suspended. Preparations were on to file a case against them,” Supreintendent Rahman said.
Biplab Sarkar said his brother Shamim and nephew Saiful Islam were picked up on Wednesday night by policemen in plainclothes, who demanded a fat bribe for his release.
But on Thursday morning, a body was abandoned in capital’s Mitford Hospital which Biplab claimed to be of his brother Shamim.
Additional Police Superintendent Masudur Rahman said Saiful returned his relatives around 4pm.
But Shamim's death provoked locals to launch violent demonstrations just after midday .
The situation is under control now, says Rahman.
A police outpost was set on fire during the violent demonstrations.
Younger brother Biplab Sarkar said a Savar police team, consisting of Sub Inspectors Mustafizur Rahman and Sazzad Rumon, and Assistant Sub Inspectors Akidul Islam and Ershad Ukil, picked up Shamim and his nephew Saiful Islam, 30, from locality around 10pm. “They were in plain clothes.”
“My brother was into the land trading.”
According to him, SI Akidul called him (Biplab) and said Shamim and Saiful were arrested over a 2002 murder case. “He (SI) said my brother and nephew will be left unscathed if we paid Tk 200,000.”
Biplab claimed he ‘heard’ that Shamim was tortured somewhere outside the police station late on Wednesday night.
Early on Thursday, Mitford Hospital staff claimed four people came to the hospital and left one youth named Shamim there.
“They came carrying ‘Shamim’ in a private car,” the hospital’s emergency unit staff Jahidul Islam said. “He (Shamim) complained of pain in the chest.”
Doctors declared Shamim dead after he was admitted into the coronary care unit (CCU).
The four had introduced them as relatives of the youth, one witness Zakir said, and wanted to take away Shamim’s body in the private car.
But one hospital staff suggested the use of an ambulance instead.
“The four abandoned the body on a trolley and fled.”
Mitford Hospital Ward Master Abdur Raub said the body was currently kept in the emergency unit. “Kotwali police was informed of the matter.”
Source: Bd news24