Maj (retd) Sinha murder: 3 sent to jail after arrest by Rab, remand hearing today

Three people who were made witnesses in the murder case filed by police in connection with the killing of Major (retd) Md Rashed Khan Sinha have been sent to jail yesterday afternoon after they were arrested by Rapid Action Battalion members from Marishbania in Cox's Bazar.

Judge Md Helal Uddin passed the order to send the arrestees to jail after they were produced before the Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court of Teknaf upazila around 3:00pm, reports our Cox's Bazar correspondent quoting Lt Col Ashik Billah, director (legal and media wing) of Rab.

The judge also set Wednesday as the date of the hearing on the petitions filed by Rab seeking remand of the arrestees, the Rab official also said.

Billah said they arrested the three around 2:00pm in connection with the murder case, filed by the retired major's sister.

The arrestees -- Nurul Amin, Nizam Uddin and Md Ayash -- are residents of Marishbania area of ​​Baharchhara union in Teknaf and members of community police.

They are also witnesses of the two cases against Shahedul Islam Sefat and Maj (retd) Sinha Md Rashed Khan, filed under narcotics act and preventing police from discharging duty, according to the inspector's office of Cox's Bazar court.

The Rab director said they will produce the three arrestees before a Cox's Bazar court with a prayer for 10-day remand for each.

The three were made witnesses in the murder case filed by eventually arrested Sub-Inspector Nandadulal Rakshit after Sinha was shot dead at a police check point on Marine Drive on July 31.

Seven policemen, including ex-Teknaf officer-in-charge Pradeep Kumar and prime accused Inspector Liaqat Ali, who shot Sinha dead, have already been arrested in connection with the murder case.

Other policemen arrested in the case are: SI Nandadulal, ASI Liton Miah and constables Kamal Hossain, Abdullah Al Mamun and Safanur Karim. All seven policemen were suspended later.

Police had arrested two private university students Shahedul Islam Sefat and Shipra Debnath -- who accompanied Sinha to Cox's Bazar to make a documentary -- in a narcotics case filed later by the police. Sefat witnessed the killing of Sinha.

Maj (retd) Sinha, 36, had been making travel documentaries for a YouTube channel called "Just Go". On the fateful night, he was returning to Cox's Bazar from Teknaf. His car was stopped at Shaplapur on Marine Drive.

Police claimed that they tried to search the vehicle, and Sinha aimed his pistol at them prompting them to shoot back in self-defence. They also claimed that they seized drugs from the vehicle.

However, witnesses gave a different account of the incident. They said Sinha got down from his car, put his hands over his head, and then police shot him.