3 ex-RAB officials enjoying VIP status in jail

Uzzal Jisan: The three former officials of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), who were accused in the sensational seven murder case in Narayanganj, are enjoying VIP status in Dhaka Central Jail.

The three - Lt Colonel Tareque Sayeed Mohammad, Major Arif Hossain and Lt Commander SM Masud Rana have been kept at the division cells in Dhaka Central Jail, sources said.

Among them, sacked commanding officer of Rab-11 Tareque Sayeed is staying at the 26 No. division cell of Central Jail. His foods are sent from outside without proper checkup, Jail sources said.

Sources also confirmed that the ex-Rab officer is enjoying VIP status as he is the son-in-law of Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya. He even also frequently talks with relatives though mobile phones and sleeps under the fan.

Meanwhile, the other two sacked Rab officers - Major Arif Hossain and Lt Commander SM Masud Rana are staying at the Shapla-5 division cell and Shapla-2 division cell respectively.

Jail sources said the duo are also having foods served from outside.

However, the jail authorities were unwilling to make any comment while they were contacted in this regard.

The Rab members were sent to forced retirement on May 6 after their alleged involvement with the abduction and killing of the seven people came to light.

Arif were arrested along with Tareque on May 17 under section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure at Dhaka cantonment while Rana arrested the following day from the same area.

Tareque and Arif were charged with the murders on May 22 while Rana on May 25.

On April 27, Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam, his three aides and driver and senior lawyer Chandan Sarkar and his driver were kidnapped from the Dhaka-Narayanganj link road in Narayanganj separately.

Three days later, six bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya. The other body was recovered from the river the following day.

Nur Hossain, former vice-president of Sidhhirganj thana Awami League unit of the city, has been made the prime accused in the case filed by the Nazrul’s wife.

The allegations of the trio’s involvement into the abduction and killings came into light when Nazrul`s father-in-law claimed before media that Rab men committed the crime in exchange for Tk 6 crore from Hossain and other accused.

Tareque Sayeed on June 18 made confessional statement before a Narayanganj court under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in connection with the seven-murder.

Earlier, Maj Arif Hossain and Lt Commander MM Rana also made confessional statements admitting their involvement in the seven-murder.

risingbd/DHAKA/June 24, 2014/Augustin Sujan