3 Mirpur cops, 2 informers face trial for killing in custody

A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against five, including three former policemen of Pallabi Police Station, for their involvement in killing Ishtiaq Ahmed Jonny in police custody in February 2014.  

The accused are Sub-inspector Jahidur Rahman Khan, two assistant sub-inspectors Md Kamruzzaman Minto and Rashedul Hassan and two police informers Sumon and Russell.

Of them, Minto and Rashed are now on bail, while Jahidur and Sumon are in jail. And Russell is on the run.

All the accused except Russell claimed themselves innocent and demanded justice after Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court read out the charges to them.

The court also fixed May 16 to begin trial of the case.

Earlier in the day, the court rejected four separate petitions submitted for discharging the four from the charges.

According to the prosecution, it was alleged that Jonny, his brother Imtiaz Hassan Rocky and three others were detained by a police team, led by SI Jahidur, on February 9, 2014, when they were celebrating a pre-wedding programme of Jonny's friend at Irani camp in Pallabi.

Informer Sumon and his friends Russell and Nasim called police after Jonny slapped Sumon for stalking women at the programme.

Later, Jonny, 28, was allegedly tortured to death. He was a resident of Talab camp in Mirpur-11.

Following the incident, victim's brother Rocky on August 7 that year filed a case against nine people, including SI Jahidur.

Later, a metropolitan magistrate conducted a judicial inquiry and found Jahidur and four others' involvement in the murder.   

Jahidur is also an accused of custodial death of garment-waste trader Mahabubur Rahman Sujan at Mirpur Police Station.