Murder accused escapes from court custody in Jashore

An accused in a murder case escaped from police custody after breaking his handcuffs at the Jashore Judge Court last afternoon.

The accused, Jewel Khan, 35, of Rampur village in Shalikha upazila of Magura, is a prime accused in the murder of easy-bike driver Al-Amin in 2021.

According to court and police sources, Jewel had been in prison since his arrest in December 2021. On Sunday, he was brought to the court along with another accused from the Jashore Central Jail for a scheduled hearing in the Additional District and Sessions Judge Court-2.

After the court hearing, the judge ordered their return to jail.

While the police constable was escorting the two accused to the court's detention cell, Jewel managed to break his handcuffs and escape near the staircase of the court building around 2:00pm.

Constable Sonali Begum, who was escorting them, screamed for help, prompting nearby people to chase after the fleeing accused.

Witnesses said Jewel ran out through the main gate of the court, towards the Kharika area.

Upon receiving news of the escape, senior police officials including Additional Superintendent of Police (Admin and Finance) Nur-e-Alam Siddiqui, Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Ops) Abul Bashar, and Kotwali Police Station OC Abul Hasan went to the court premises. Several police teams have since launched a manhunt to locate and apprehend the fugitive.

Confirming the incident, Court Inspector Rokhsana Khatun said, "We are searching for Jewel. An investigation has been launched over the incident."