Jamal Uddin murder: Accused lands in jail after 20yrs

A Chattogram court sent an accused in the abduction and murder case of businessman and BNP leader Jamal Uddin to jail -- 20 years after the incident -- following his surrender to court seeking bail.

The accused is Md Abul Kashem Chowdhury alias Kashem Chairman.

Kashem appeared before the court of Fifth Additional Chattogram Metropolitan Session Judge. The court rejected his bail prayer and sent him to jail, said Farid Uddin, bench assistant of the court.

Advocate Ridwanul Bari, additional public prosecutor of the court, told The Daily Star, "Kashem is the mastermind behind the killing, and he has been absconding for the last 20 years... Recently he secured four weeks' bail from the High Court."

"After his bail period expired, he surrendered to this court seeking bail again. But the court rejected his plea," he said.

The case is now under trial in the court, where witnesses are testifying. According to the charge sheet, 84 persons were made witnesses in the case, and out of them, only three have testified so far.

On July 24, 2003, Jamal Uddin was abducted while he was going to his Chandgaon residence in Chattogram from his office at the capital's Chawkbazar area.

After receiving a complaint from Jamal's family, police arrested Md Shahid, a union parishad member of Anwara Sadar. Later, as per the statement of Shahid, police recovered the remains of Jamal Uddin on August 24, 2005 from a hilly area of Chattogram's Fatikchhari upazila.

At present, one accused is behind bars while six are on bail. Two of the accused have died and the rest are absconding.