A “handcuffed and chained” convict in police custody jumped off a train heading for Mymensingh at Trishal Monday night.

Faruq Elahi Khorshed, 40, is convicted of murder and was serving life term imprisonment. He is also an accused in another murder case.

Sources said a four-member police team led by nayek Shah Alam of Razarbagh Police Lines were on their way to Mymensingh from Dhaka Central Jail with Faruq and Shaheen, 30, a suspect of another case.

Both of them were scheduled to appear before Mymensingh courts yesterday, police said.

Around 7:30pm, when the train was between Dhala and Balipara railway stations, Faruq asked the policemen to take him to the toilet.

Police sources said Faruq walked towards the toilet and suddenly jumped off the running train and disappeared in the dark.

The other accused was handed over to Mymensingh jail authorities around 8:30pm the same night, jail sources said.

The policemen on duty claimed Faruq was in handcuffs and chains.

Nayek Shah Alam filed a case with Mymensingh railway police, said Abdul Ahad Khan, officer-in-charge of the police station.

“The accused were being taken on the train due to shortage of prison vans,” said Trishal OC Moniruzzaman. “We will find out after an investigation if the accused were in chains properly,” he added.

A police official said there was no prison carriage for trains and it should be introduced for safely carrying convicts and accused.

A three-member probe body headed by Additional Superintendent of Police Harun-or-Rashid was formed to investigate the incident and submit a report in one day, sources said.

The police could not arrest the convict as of filing this report yesterday evening.