SI Anwar held

SI Anwar Hossain

Sub-inspector Anwar Hossain of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station was arrested yesterday for shooting a man in the capital on Sunday.

The SI shot Shah Alam, a car driver, in both legs from close range in Taltola area around midnight, and tried to portray him as a mugger and a gunfight victim.

Biplob Kumar Sarkar, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, yesterday said during primary investigation they found Anwar shot Alam over personal enmity.

“He [Anwar] shot Alam after picking him up,” Biplob told The Daily Star over the phone.

The SI was arrested after Alam's brother Golam Mostafa filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police yesterday afternoon.

In the case statement, Mostafa said Anwar tried to kill his brother.

Following the allegation, Abdul Momen, officer-in-charge of the police station, was also transferred to the Detective Branch of DMP for “negligence in duty,” police sources said.

“We are happy that the culprit has been arrested. We want justice,” said Mostafa.

Alam and Anwar came to know each other two years ago, when Alam started working as a driver at Mohammadpur Police Station. Anwar was posted there at the time.

Shot in the legs by a policeman, Shah Alam having treatment at Nitor in the capital. Photo: Star

Alam, 27, alleged the SI shot him because of personal enmity. According him, the SI was having an extramarital affair with his wife, Shanta. The police officer got furious when Alam threatened him that he would disclose the matter to Anwar's wife.

Shanta left Alam about one and a half years ago. Since September this year, she had been living together with the SI in a house in Keraniganj. Anwar had rented the house identifying himself as a motor parts trader.

But when locals came to know his true identity and his extra marital affair with Alam's wife, they tried to settle the matter through arbitration. But their efforts failed, as neither Anwar nor Shanta showed up.

Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police sources said Anwar had been going out on duty in plainclothes for the past few days.

“He [Anwar] was on duty in plainclothes also on the day of the shooting,” said one of his colleagues, wishing not to be named.

He also said a police team led by another sub-inspector accompanied Anwar and his team that night.

SAME OLD STORY 

The gunfight theory that Anwar gave out to the media seems a cock-and-bull story, at least the police action against the SI suggests so.

The SI claimed police had information that some muggers were gathering at Taltola to carry out mugging. As he and his team reached the area, the muggers started firing on them, prompting police to retaliate.

At one stage, the criminals started falling back and police found injured Alam lying on the ground, he said.

He claimed police recovered an illegal firearm and three bullets from Alam's possession. The SI later filed an arms case against Alam.

Anwar, however, admitted that he knew Alam and his wife, as Alam used to drive a car of Mohammadpur Police Station.

Police gave him the job to use him as a source to nab other muggers, he claimed.

But Alam said he was picked up by Anwar from Mohammadpur Krishi Market area on Sunday night. The SI and his men then blindfolded and tied him up, before forcing him in a microbus. Around an hour later they stopped somewhere.

“Your days are over. Tell me if you want to eat anything for one last time,” Alam quoted the SI as telling him before shooting.