Another arrested
Police yesterday evening arrested one of the two accused in a murder case centring the death of an O-level candidate while taking the other on a fresh four-day remand.
Meanwhile over 1,000 locals of the capital's Uttara, mostly youths, formed a human chain at Sector 7 terming the death a murder and demanding that the perpetrators be arrested and brought to justice.
The body of Zubair Ahmed, 16, was recovered by divers of firefighting units from a pond at Sector 4 on October 5 around 11:00am as per information provided by Abuubaida Kadir, who was earlier taken on a three-day remand.
Ismail Hossain, arrested at Uttara, was stated by Abuubaida to have witnessed him trying to save Zubair from drowning while the youngster was attempting to retrieve a football on the evening of October 4.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Uttara Division) Iqbal Hossain told The Daily Star that he was perplexed with Abuubaida's lifestyle, for the 46-year-old claiming to be an Algerian used to spend most of his time with teenagers he met while playing football, occasionally providing gifts.
Abuubaida also claimed to have been making a living giving tuition but could not show any valid documents on his arrival and stay in Bangladesh, said Uttara East Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shahadat Hossain Khan.
A police official who was present during the quizzing said Abuubaida claimed to have applied to return to Algeria to marry one of his cousins. But he could not specify to whom or where he submitted his application.
Abuubaida had told police that he went home and fell asleep after witnessing Zubair drown, alerting the victim's brother the next morning some 12 hours later. This delay had created suspicion in the minds of yesterday's protesters.
Arshad Ali, chief of the security guards stationed at the park, managed by Uttara Housing Society and housing the pond, two fields and a children's playground, also contradicted Abuubaida's claim that none except him and Ismail had witnessed the drowning.Arshad told The Daily Star that he and two other guards were on duty and some visitors were at the park at the time Abuubaida claimed the drowning took place.
On the morning of the body's recovery, he also recalled Abuubaida to have been placid, quoting him as saying, “Time finished. He is dead”.
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