‘He hooked me with promises of stardom’

Abu Yusuf Limon's dream since childhood was to be in the national cricket team. That's why when a man promised him a spot in the team if he did him a favour, he readily agreed.

A young Limon was in awe of the man's extravagant lifestyle and thought putting a cricketer in the national team should not be impossible for a man who had that level of success.

The man is Rabiul Islam, now better known as Arav Khan, and the favour he asked for is: Limon go to a court pretending to be Rabiul and surrender.

Limon yesterday told The Daily Star that he was a gullible 22-year-old desperately chasing his dream after months of lockdown in 2020. And on October 21 that year, he went to a Dhaka court, not knowing that that would be the beginning of what he said was a prolonged nightmare.

Assuming the identity of Rabiul, he surrendered to the court as the accused in a murder case. He was immediately sent to jail and was not released until nine months later.

Rabiul, an accused in a case filed over the killing of a police officer in July 2018, came under the spotlight on March 15 when he invited cricket superstar Shakib Al Hasan to inaugurate his jewellery store in Dubai.

Shakib went to the Gold Souk in Dubai to join the inauguration in a luxury car accompanied by Rabiul.

Limon yesterday said, "Arav [Rabiul] promised me that he would get me out of jail after one and a half months. Then he would do everything needed to make my dream come true… I knew nothing about how the legal system worked."

After three months of incarceration, Limon realised that Rabiul was not doing anything to get him out. He then managed to contact his parents, and they were the ones who were able to get him out of jail on bail after informing the court about his real identity.

The court then asked the Detective Branch of police to investigate the matter.

The detectives found that Limon was the son of Md Nuruzzaman and Halima Begum of Ainpur area in Kachua, Chandpur.

Police then accused Limon of fraud in a new case, which is still under trial.

"My father earns very little from his job and he has already spent over Tk 5 lakh for my legal battle. He borrowed the money from a bank. I missed three court hearings because I had no money."

Limon now lives in a mess in the capital's Adabor and he makes rent from his earnings as a Pathao rider.

Limon's mother Halima Begum said, "After he passed SSC in 2016, he enrolled for a diploma in Medical Assistant Training School in Cumilla where he studied for a few years. His father stopped providing for him after he left his studies and went to Dhaka to be a cricket player."

In Dhaka, Limon got a chance to be in the 2nd division cricket league for Rayer Bazar Club. "But in 2020, I suffered a lot. I often struggled to buy food because I had no money."

"I followed Arav on Facebook and learnt more about him from Didar Pathan, who was a neighbour in Chandpur. One day, I messaged Arav about my struggles and my dream to be a cricketer. That was my undoing."

Limon denied taking money from Robiul, which a police officer recently alleged.

BRINGING RABIUL BACK

Rabiul fled to India soon after the murder of the police officer. Police pressed charges against Rabiul and nine others on April 11, 2019.

He obtained an Indian passport in 2020 and later travelled to Dubai, where he has a resident permit until the end of next year.

To bring him to book, the authorities will have to request India to ask the UAE to deport Rabiul, noted lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told The Daily Star.

If he is handed over to India, he could face charges of trespassing and forgery.

"He may then get six months. After he serves his time, India will deport him to Bangladesh," Khurshid added.

A police officer familiar with the process of bringing back suspects from abroad said it could be done through Interpol.

Bangladesh's focal point for Interpol, the National Central Bureau (NCB), will have to contact the New Delhi and Dubai NCBs, he said.

"The NCBs of the three countries will have to work together," said the officer, requesting not to be named.