A man has been in Feni jail for over a year, pretending to be a convicted drug dealer while the actual criminal remains scot-free.

After the incident became known, a bench assistant of a Feni court yesterday sued proxy inmate Saiful Islam, 32, and the actual convict Mansur Alam, 35, for fraudulence.

Both of them are in jail now.

Mansur was convicted in a drugs case in 2017 and sentenced to two years in prison. Saiful has been in jail for one year and three months.

Both of them are from Laxmipur area of Feni Sadar Upazila, court sources in the district.

Mansur was arrested with 50 yaba pills on August 19, 2017. He was freed on bail on August 31.

Officials suspect that after he was convicted, Mansur, being an influential person, somehow managed to get Saiful to impersonate him and go to jail. 

On December 2, Saiful surrendered before a court pretending to be Mansur. Local lawyer Sabbir represented him that day.

The court then sent him to jail.

As the matter came to the court's attention, it asked Mansur to appear before it on December 30 last year, said Hafez Ahmed, public prosecutor of Feni Judge Court.

In the court, Mansur confessed to making the “arrangement” with Saiful and was sent to jail.

The court yesterday also asked lawyer Sabbir to explain his conduct by next Tuesday.