Probe Report on Sinha Killing: Govt body gets seven more days

A high-level committee formed to probe the murder of Maj (retd) Sinha Md Rashed Khan has been given seven more working days to complete the investigation.

The committee formed by the home ministry was asked to submit its report to the government by August 31, said the ministry Information Officer Sharif Mahmud.

The committee requested for the additional time as the members were yet to interrogate a key accused -- suspended Teknaf OC Pradeep Kumar Das, a member told The Daily Star yesterday wishing anonymity.

This is the second extension of its deadline by seven days.

In another development, the officers-in-charge of Teknaf and Cox's Bazar police stations, who had just joined the stations, were unexpectedly transferred yesterday evening.  

"The Police Headquarters have taken the steps, and the transfers have nothing to do with the ongoing issues," said a high official of the district police.

Mohammad Khairuzzaman joined as OC of Cox's Bazar Police Station on August 17 And Abul Foysal started work in Teknaf on August 8.

Pradeep, along with five other suspended policemen, is now being grilled by Rab officers on remand. The five include Inspector Liaqat Ali, who shot Sinha at a check-post, and Sub-inspector Nandadulal Rakhshit.

Rab, which is probing the murder case filed by Sinha's sister, is also interrogating three suspended members of Armed Police Battalion (APBn) -- assistant sub-inspector Shahjahan and constables Razib and Abdullah. The three were arrested in the case later and subsequently placed on remand.

The home ministry's Public Security Division had formed the committee on August 2 to probe the murder and recommend ways to stop any recurrence of such incidents.

The committee was asked to submit its report within seven working days.

Headed by Additional Divisional Commissioner of Chattogram Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, other members of the committee are Lt Col SM Sazzad Hossain representing the Armed Forces Division of Bangladesh Army, Additional Deputy Inspector General of Police (Chattogram range) Zakir Hossain Khan and Cox's Bazar Additional District Magistrate Shahjahan Ali.

SEVEN SENT TO JAIL

A Cox's Bazar court yesterday sent seven accused in the case to jail after Rapid Action Battalion produced them before it on completion of their seven-day remand.

Briefing reporters in Cox's Bazar on Wednesday, Rab Director (Legal and Media Wing) Lt Col Ashik Billah said if the investigation officer deems it necessary to quiz the seven accused further, they might request placing them on remand again.

The seven accused are suspended ASI Liton Mia and constables Safanur Karim, Kamal Hossain and Abdullah Al Mamum and villagers Nurul Amin, Nizam Uddin and Md Ayash of Marishbunia, Teknaf.

Ashik said the IO has got a clear picture about the Sinha murder by interrogating the accused, analysing statements of witnesses and scrutinising evidence.

NO FOOTAGE FROM TEKNAF POLICE STATION

The Rab director said when the investigating officer contacted the authorities concerned to provide him with the CCTV footage from July 25 to August 6, they asked the IO to contact the higher authorities.

Ashik said the IO then appealed to the court to issue an order in this regard. The court ordered the authorities to hand the footage to the investigator. The police station later informed the IO that the footage was recorded on two hard disks. One of those was missing and the other developed technical glitches.

The IO wanted to collect the CCTV footage to see the activities at the police station on July 31 and some other following days as part of his investigation, he added.

Replying to another question, the Rab official said 29 items, including a laptop, a camera, hard disks and other electronic devices of Sinha, Shipra Debnath and Shahedul Islam Sefat, would be collected by the IO as evidence. The items were seized by Ramu police.

On July 31, Sinha was going to Cox's Bazar from Teknaf when his car was stopped at a police check post on Marine Drive road in Shaplapur. He was shot dead at the check post.

Sinha's companion Sefat was arrested in a murder and a narcotics case by Teknaf police while Shipra in a narcotics case. They were released on bail.

Sinha used to make travel videos for a YouTube channel titled Just Go. He went to Cox's Bazar with Sefat, Shipra and another filmmaking student to shoot a video for the channel.