SI Anwar held

Police yesterday arrested Sub-inspector Anwar Hossain of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station over his alleged attempt to kill a man.

On Sunday midnight, the SI shot Shah Alam, a car driver, in both legs from close range in the capital’s Taltola area and later tried to portray him as a mugger and a victim of a gunfight, Shah Alam told The Daily Star.

The two knew each other since Alam started working as a driver at Mohammadpur Police Station two years ago, when Anwar was posted there.

The police officer was nabbed after Alam’s brother Golam Mostafa filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station yesterday afternoon.

In the case statement, Mostafa said Anwar tried to kill his brother, said Biplob Kumar Sarkar, deputy commissioner (Tejgaon division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Following the allegation, Abdul Momen, officer-in-charge of the police station, was also transferred to the Detective Branch of DMP for “negligence in duty,” police sources said.

“We are happy that the culprit has been arrested. We want justice,” said Mostafa, adding that he and his brother were living in fear.

Alam, who is undergoing treatment at Pongu hospital, alleged that SI Anwar shot him over personal enmity.

According him, the SI was having an extramarital affair with his wife, Shanta. The police officer got furious when Alam threatened him that he would disclose the matter to Anwar’s wife.

Shot in the legs by a policeman, Shah Alam having treatment at Nitor in the capital. Photo: Star

Shanta left Alam about one and a half years ago. Since September she had been living together with the SI in a house in Keraniganj.

Alam said Anwar had rented the house identifying himself as a trader.

But when locals came to know his true identity and his extra marital affair with Alam’s wife, they held an arbitration. This too infuriated the SI.

After picking him up from Mohammadpur Krishi Market area on Sunday night, the SI and his men blindfolded and tied him up and forced him in a microbus. Around an hour later they stopped somewhere. At one point, SI Anwar asked him if he wanted to eat anything for one last time, Alam said.

“Your days are over. Tell me if you want to eat anything,” Alam quoted the SI as saying telling him.

Sources at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police said SI Anwar had been going out on duty in plainclothes for the last few days.

“He [Anwar] was on duty in plainclothes on the day of the shooting,” said one of his colleagues, wishing not to be named.

This police officer said a police team led by another sub-inspector accompanied Anwar and his team on that day.

SAME OLD STORY

The gunfight story that SI Anwar gave out to the media seems all but fabricated, at least the police action against the SI suggests so.

The SI claimed police had information that some muggers were gathering at Taltola to carry out mugging. As he and his team reached the area, the muggers started firing on them, prompting police to retaliate.

At one stage, the criminals started falling back and police found injured Alam lying on the ground, he said.

He claimed police recovered an illegal firearm and three bullets from Alam’s possession. The SI later filed an arms case against Alam.

Anwar, however, admitted that he knew Alam and his wife, as Alam used to drive a car of Mohammadpur Police Station. Police gave him the job to use him as a source to nab other muggers, he claimed.

But DC Biplob Kumar Sarkar said during primary investigation they found that Anwar shot Alam over personal enmity.

“He [Anwar] shot Alam after picking him up,” said the DC.

According Alam, he was picked up by SI Anwar from the capital’s Mohammadpur area around 10:00pm Sunday. “I was handcuffed and taken to Taltola. Anwar then shot me in the legs.”