Custodial death victim picked up weeks ago: family

A suspect in the suicide attack on Rapid Action Battalion camp at Dakkhin Khan in Dhaka who died in police custody on Friday was abducted along with a friend from Siddhirganj in Narayanganj on February 27, the family alleged on Sunday.
The battalion on Saturday claimed that the suspect, Hanif Mridha, was arrested near Hajj Camp at about 4:30pm on in during a raid following the suicide blast at their barrack inside their under-construction installation.
The family, however, alleged that Hanif and his friend Shohel Hossain Montu were picked up by plainclothes people from near Kanchpur bridge at Siddhirganj after they disembarked from a lunch coming from Charmonai in Barisal on February 27. 
The family also filed a missing complaint with Siddhinganj police station in on March 4. 
Hanif was a transport businessman and used to run three buses and a car while ‘missing’ Shohel used to run old furniture business at Gulshan-1.
Shohel’s mother Momtaj Begum said her son and his friend Hanif were picked up from Kanchpur bridge when they were returning from Charmonai after attending an annual prayer. 
Momtaj said that her brother Sagir Miah, who piloted the launch in which Hanif and Shohel travelled, informed her about the abduction. 
‘We have searched in different area but their whereabouts were unknown to us,’ said Momtaj. 
She came to know about Hanif and said, ‘Please, don’t kill my son.’ 
Dhaka airport police station inspector (investigation) Ejaj Shafi said that the family of Hanif identified the body handed over by the battalion.
Hanif’s wife Kulsum Begum said their driver Jewel went to Kanchpur bridge to pick her husband but some seven to eight people introduced them as Detective Branch personnel and picked Hanif and Shohel on a sky-blue microbus. Another group got in the car and asked Jewel to drive. They dropped Jewel at Purbachal and went away in the car. 
Hanif’s brother Halim filed the missing complaint with Siddhiganj police station on March 4.
Halim said that a RAB-1 pickup and microbus came to their house at Rayerbazar on March 15 with Hanif.
The family said that the battalion team forced Hanif to sign a cheque of Tk 6.70 lakh.
When asked, RAB-1 commanding officer Sarwar Bin Kashem denied the allegation. He told New Age on Sunday, ‘We have got the allegation and we are seriously investigating it …. Sometimes families of criminals raise false allegations.’
Battalion’s legal and media director Mufti Mahmud Khan said that the man was taken to the battalion at about 4:30pm on March 17 in connection with the suicide bombing and then he complained of chest pain, leading the battalion to take him to a nearby hospital where he died after one hour and a half. 

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