18yrs in guise of journo to avoid 17yrs in prison

Name changed. Papers faked. And a deception of 18 years. That is how it was for Mohammad Iqbal Hossain (52).

A fugitive sentenced to 17 years in prison, Iqbal changed his name and address in his NID card and birth certificate, after being accused in an arms and robbery case in 2004 under Dhaka's Sutrapur Police Station.

To avoid the sentence, he has been in hiding for 18 years, disguising himself as an online journalist. All this came to the fore when Munshiganj police arrested him yesterday. Iqbal is the son of late Abul Hossain, former UP chair of Dulihata village in Tongibari, said police.

He was arrested by Mymensingh's Bhaluka police during an armed robbery in 2004. He was later released on bail after serving 17 months in jail. He then went into hiding, said SI Mohammad Al Mamun of Tongibari Police Station, who led the operation.

His real name is Md Maruf Hossain Iqbal. He grew a beard to avoid identification and has been living in his own house with his family at Sutrapur.

"We have been conducting raids at different places for the last 10 years to arrest him. Iqbal has been sent to Munshiganj court, and from there, he will be sent to Mymensingh court," said Mamun.