Aslam Fakir who got presidential clemency arrested again for murder

Former death row convict Aslam Fakir who dodged the gallows on presidential clemency has been arrested on yet another murder charge.

Aslam was arrested from College Para of Jashore’s Chawgacha area on Sunday morning.

A team of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-8) arrested him and brought him to the elite force’s Faridpur camp.

Aslam, 50, is son of Late Shukur Fakir of Manikdaha village under Bhanga upazila in Faridpur.

Aslam was former chairman of Manikdah union parishad and president of Sadarpur upazila Jubo Leauge.

On 21 April, a 48-year-old man named Shahid Sheikh was killed during clashes between two groups at Lakshmipur village in Manikdah union.

Aslam has been made the prime accused in a case filed against 54 for the murder. Aslam was absconding since then.

Aslam was trying to flee to India although he did not have any valid passport with him, RAB-8 company commander Debashish Karmakar told a press conference on Sunday afternoon.

He changed his hideout for at least five times after 22 April before renting a house in College Para area of Chawgacha, he added.

Earlier, Aslam Fakir was sentenced to death for murdering Manikdah union parishad chairman AKM Shahed Ali alias Saheb Mia on 25 September 2003. Aslam along with another person was first sentenced to death by a Faridpur court. High Court also upheld the sentence. Aslam was scheduled to hanged on 13 November, 2014. In a dramatic turn of events, his hanging was suspended just a day before the sentence was to be carried out.

He sought presidential clemency for the second time that very day and his death penalty was commuted to 14 years of imprisonment.

On 25 August, 2017, Aslam was released from jail allegedly with the help of AL presidium member and former MP of Faridpur-4 constituency Kazi Zafarullah and his wife Nilufar Zafarullah.

Aslam got involved with politics once again after being freed.

Sub inspector of Bhanga police station Abdullah Aziz said eight more accused were arrested over Shahid Sheikh murder so far they have given confessional statements before the court.

Aslam Fakir would be interrogated in Bhanga police station and handed over to court on Monday, he added.