How Pichchi Raja escaped: CCTV footage reveals what happened
A blue prison van suddenly came to a halt on the busy road in Tantibazar in the capital. The clock showed 5:58 pm. At one point, the rear door of the prison van was opened.
Three masked men then stepped onto the road one after another from the slowly moving vehicle. Two were accused in criminal cases, while the other was a police officer.
The escape of Mohammadpur’s notorious drug dealer Raja, also known as Pichchi Raja, was captured on multiple CCTV cameras. Several footage clips obtained yesterday evening, Tuesday, appear to show that he escaped with the assistance of police.
The prison van had left a Dhaka court for Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur on the evening of 27 September, carrying 30 accused. When it reached in front of Popular Diagnostic Centre in Tantibazar, the vehicle slowed down.
According to the police investigation, sub-inspector (SI) Prabir Kumar Biswas, who was responsible for the prison van at the time, opened the rear door amid the traffic jam. He then went inside and brought out two accused.
The second accused to leave the prison van was Khairul Bashar, owner of Cambrian School and College. CCTV footage shows Khairul, wearing a white shirt, getting off the prison van with Pichchi Raja and stepping onto the road.
After walking a short distance, Khairul returned within a few seconds and took a seat beside the driver of the prison van. Pichchi Raja, however, did not get back into the vehicle. He continued walking ahead, with SI Prabir Kumar Biswas, wearing a red shirt, following behind him.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Commissioner Israel Howlader said Pichchi Raja and Prabir Kumar Biswas then got into a private car. Although the scene was not captured on CCTV, he said the police had confirmed the matter.
At exactly 6:00pm, the prison van left without Prabir Kumar Biswas and Pichchi Raja. Within just two minutes, Pichchi Raja, who faces 30 cases, disappeared from view.
According to police, Pichchi Raja was taken out of the prison van to allow him to spend time with family members and create an opportunity for him to escape. Khairul Bashar was allowed to sit beside the driver so that he could travel more comfortably, as the prison van was air-conditioned.
Police said the plan to help Pichchi Raja escape had been made two days before the incident. The driver of the prison van and Raja’s sister Taslima were involved in the plan.
SI Prabir Kumar Biswas, prison van driver Naik Kamal Hossain and Raja’s sister Taslima have been arrested in connection with the incident. On Tuesday, Gazipur Metropolitan Magistrate Court judge Zubayer Rashid granted four-day remand for the three.
Earlier, at a press conference on Monday, GMP Commissioner Israel Howlader said several more people had been found to be involved in Pichchi Raja’s escape. Among them were the driver of a private car and one of Pichchi Raja’s close relatives.
2 police officers arrested
Police have yet to release detailed information about which vehicle Pichchi Raja took after leaving the prison van and where he went. The law enforcement agency said surveillance had been stepped up along various borders of the country to track him down.
Earlier, on the evening of 19 May, Pichchi Raja was arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, along with his wife and brother-in-law, while returning to Bangladesh from Nepal. He had been in jail after being arrested in several cases.