Businessman picked up from footpath, shown arrested with 'weapons' two days later
Sand traders Shamim Khan was picked up through motorcycle by plain clothes police on 26 August night at 8:23 from in front of UCB bank in Mirpur section-1 while he was talking with others.
But in police FIR it was showed that he was arrested on 28 August early in the morning with arms.
The plaintiff of the case is DB Sub-Inspector AKM Niaz Uddin MOlla in a case filed in Shah Ali police station.
He wrote in the FIR that on secret information Shamim Khan was arrested from Bashpatti area of Diyabar dame under Shah Ali police station. Police has recovered one pistol, two rounds of bullets, and one magazine.
Meanwhile, Asia Post obtained video footage, speeches of the eye witnesses, family members, and local people’s information said different things.
Besides, the FIR has no information that where Shamim Khan was stayed in the two intervening days between 26 to 28 August.
After showing Shamim Khan as arrested, police sought his remand for interrogation and also requested that he be sent to jail without granting him bail. He was sent to jail on August 29.
When he was produced before the court again on September 3, police sought an 11-day remand. Considering the evidence and circumstances, the court permitted police to interrogate him at the jail gate.
What the CCTV footage shows
The footage shows Md Shamim Khan, dressed in a white panjabi and pajama, walking along the footpath before stopping in front of a shop and talking to someone.
At one point, a man arrives on a motorcycle. After leaving the motorcycle, he approaches Shamim Khan with three other men who were already there.
After talking to Shamim for a while, they put him between them on the motorcycle and left the scene at around 8:25pm.
The footage does not show them conducting any search of Shamim Khan during this period.
What the victim’s family members say
Shamim Khan’s wife, Arbi Sultana, told Asia Post, “Shamim left home at around 3pm on August 26. I spoke to him normally in the evening as well. But around 10pm, an acquaintance came and told me that Shamim had been picked up by people identifying themselves as DB officials.
“After hearing this, I made inquiries at Darus Salam Police Station, Mirpur Police Station, Shah Ali Police Station and the DB office. But I was told everywhere that no one by that name was in their custody.”
Arbi Sultana said, “On the morning of August 27, I went to Darus Salam Police Station to file a general diary (GD), but the police refused to accept it.
“At one point, when I learned that he had been picked up, I decided to file a kidnapping case. When I went to file the case on the morning of August 28, the police said the officer-in-charge was not there and refused to accept the case on that pretext.
“However, around Asr prayers on August 28, my husband called me from the phone of a DB sub-inspector and told me that he was at the DB office. Before that, I had gone to the DB office several times, but they had told me that he was not in their custody.”
Shamim Khan’s sister, Sahida Afrin Dola, told Asia Post, “My brother was not picked up from Bashpatti at the embankment. He was picked up from in front of UCB Bank in Mirpur-1 on August 26.
“The FIR states that he was arrested at 5:10am on August 28. Where was my brother during those two days in between? Was any attempt made to disappear him or kill him?”
She said, “Police have claimed that my brother ran away after seeing them. But the footage shows him walking normally. No search was conducted on him there either.
“The claim in the FIR that a search was conducted and weapons were recovered, with the names of false witnesses included, is completely untrue.
“My brother is a good businessman and an innocent person. We want his unconditional release. We demand a fair investigation and punishment of the dishonest administrative officials involved in this incident.”
Eyewitness accounts
A security guard who was present at the scene that day said, “At around 8:20pm to 8:25pm on August 26, Shamim was standing in front of UCB Bank on Darus Salam Road in Mirpur-1 and talking to a shopkeeper he knew.
“At that moment, four men suddenly came from behind and grabbed both of his hands without giving him any opportunity to speak. Shamim asked them to sit somewhere and talk, but they did not agree. Instead, they forcibly dragged him away, put him on a motorcycle and quickly left.
“The entire incident took about two to three minutes. They took Shamim away right in front of me, without conducting any search. At that time, the only thing he had in his hand was a shopping bag containing vegetables.”
A shopkeeper who witnessed the incident said, “On the night of August 26, Shamim bhai was standing in front of my shop and telling me why I did not pray. Just then, several men in plainclothes suddenly came and grabbed him from both sides.
“At Shamim bhai’s gesture, I went forward and asked them to identify themselves. They pushed me aside. Identifying themselves as ‘defence personnel’, they took out something resembling an electric shock baton from their waists and threatened me with it. I became frightened and stepped back.”
He said, “Meanwhile, another three or four people gathered there. Shamim bhai asked them to show a warrant and requested that they sit down and talk. But they did not listen to him and dragged him towards the main road.
“From there, acting on the instructions of another person, they put him on a motorcycle and quickly left. There was no incident of anyone running during the incident. There were 10 to 12 customers present, but none of them saw any pistol, and no search was conducted.”
No one saw the alleged arrest at the stated location
According to the FIR, Shamim Khan was arrested on the road opposite Bashpatti in the embankment area, near Alaina Motors.
Asia Post spoke to a shopkeeper beside Alaina Motors. He said, “The Alaina Motors shop has been closed for around seven or eight months. I have a tyre shop on this side.
“I do not know of any incident where DB police arrested someone here or recovered any weapon. Nothing of this kind happened here.”
A local resident named Babul said, “We have been living here for a long time and also work here. I was in this area on the 28th.
“If such a major incident had taken place beneath my home, whether I was asleep or awake, surely someone in the area would have seen it and we would have known about it.
“But today I am hearing about this incident for the first time from you. Nothing like this happened here.”
Police statement
When contacted about the incident, case complainant SI AKM Niazuddin Molla declined to comment.
However, Rakib Khan, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the DB Mirpur Zonal Team, categorically denied that Shamim Khan had been arrested on August 26.
Rakib Khan said, “Initially, he was only called in for a discussion. At that time, on August 26, nothing objectionable was found in his possession, so he was released.
“However, police kept him under close surveillance. Later, when a weapon was found in his possession, he was arrested at that very moment.”
Family members maintain that Shamim Khan had remained in custody since the incident and that all communication with him had been cut off.
Rakib Khan, however, said the incident had been misrepresented to journalists.
He said, “According to our information, Shamim Khan is working as the second-in-command of a top criminal in the area.
“If police had arrested him that day, it would have been documented. The law is now very strict, and police cannot simply keep someone detained at a police station for an extended period.
“Police have no scope to keep someone at a station until specific evidence or something illegal is found. However, surveillance is maintained on suspects, and action is taken in accordance with the law as soon as evidence is found.”