Actor Sohel Chowdhury murder: accused held after 24 years

Actor Sohel Chowdhury with his wife and a noted actress Diti and the couple's daughter Lamia Chowdhury

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Tuesday night arrested an accused in the sensational murder case of actor Sohel Chowdhury from the city’s Gulshan area in 1998.

Accused Ashish Roy Chowdhury aka Bottle Chowdhury had been absconding for years, law enforcers said.

He was arrested from a house near Gulshan’s Pink City around 11:00 pm, said RAB Headquarters assistant director media ASP Imran Khan.

Accused Ashish Roy Chowdhury aka Bottle Chowdhury
UNB

RAB had been surrounding the house since the evening, he added.

On 9 December, 1998, actor Sohel Chowdhury was shot dead outside the now defunct Tramps Club, housed in Abedin Tower in Banani’s Road 17.

A murder case was filed in this regard at Gulshan police station followed by a complaint lodged by Sohel’s brother Towhidul Islam Chowdhury.

On 30 July, 1999, Abul Kashem Bepari, additional police commissioner of Detective Branch submitted a charge sheet against nine people in this case.

On 30 October, 2001, Dhaka’s third additional metropolitan session judge court framed charges against the nine accused. After two years of indictment, the case was transferred to Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-2.

The same year, one of the accused appealed to the High Court.

Since 2003, the trial in the case remained suspended for 19 years.

Of the nine accused in the case, two including Ashish had remained absconding.