Jonny’s Murder in Custody: Fugitive convict ‘selling drugs’ in Pallabi
Five months have passed since the delivery of the verdict in the case filed over the murder of Ishtiaque Hossain Jonny in police custody, but two convicts are still eluding arrest.
Much to the disappointment of the victim's family, Russell, one of the two absconding convicts, is running drug business in Rahmat Camp area of the capital's Pallabi which is less than half a kilometre away from the victim's house, said locals.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a local youth said Russell visits the area once in every two to three weeks with drugs in a motorcycle and leaves after collecting the money earned by his men from sales of yaba pills and other drugs.
"Russell recently told some locals that he would see me," Jonny's brother Imtiaz Hossain Rocky, also the plaintiff of the case, told The Daily Star yesterday.
Police are seemingly showing indifference to arrest him, he added.
The other fugitive convict is Sub-Inspector Qamruzzaman Mintu.
With the victim's family observing the anniversary of Jonny's murder today, Rocky demanded arrest of the two convicts and quick disposal of the case in higher courts.
On the night of February 9, 2014, police informants Sumon and Russell called police after Jonny slapped Sumon in his face over harassing women at a pre-wedding programme.
Later, a group of policemen hauled Jonny and Rocky to Pallabi Police Station and tortured the brothers brutally. Jonny died of his wounds at a city hospital.
Rocky had filed the case with a Dhaka court, the first ever case filed under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, 2013.
A judicial inquiry found Pallabi Police Station then SI Zahidul Islam Khan, assistant sub-inspectors Md Kamruzzaman Minto and Rashedul Hassan and police informants Russel and Sumon involved in the incident.
Delivering the landmark judgement on September 9 last year, a Dhaka court sentenced the three policemen to life imprisonment and Sumon and Russel to seven years in prison each.
Pallabi Police Station OC Kazi Wazed Ali said he has deployed three teams to arrest Russell.
He also said the allegation of Russell's involvement in drug dealing was not true.
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