Man jailed over mistaken identity
A Chattogram court yesterday ordered the release of a mentally challenged man who had been languishing in jail for the last 15 days.
Police on August 18 arrested Nurul Absar of Sonakania area of Satkania upazila, mistaking him for a fugitive convict of the same name.
The actual convict is from Garangira Hatiarkul area of the same upazila. He was sentenced to three months in jail in a case filed by a bank but had on the run.
The fugitive was the owner of an automobile workshop in the port city’s Dewanhat area, police had found.
The order for his release came after police submitted a report to the court admitting their mistake, said Bench Assistant Farid Ahmed.
Mentally challenged Nurul Absar was sent to jail after Assistant Sub-inspector Jahirul Islam of Satkania Police Station arrested him and produced him before a court, Farid said.
The mistake occurred even though the two persons had different addresses and fathers’ names.
The ASI later informed the court about his mistake.
“After receiving the conviction warrant from the court, I engaged an informant to find the convict Nurul Absar. We went to the house of the [mentally challenged] man on the night of August 18. When I entered the house, he tried to hide inside his bedroom with the help of his wife and sister. During his arrest, he or his family members did not inform anything about his identity,” the ASI told The Daily Star.
He added that he had talked to local union parishad chairman and members to confirm his identity.
He learnt about his mistake after he collected more information and photos of the actual convict.
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