Former superintendent of police (SP) Babul Akter, during interrogation, has confessed to ‘murdering’ his wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu.
The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), which is investigating the case, made this statement in an application submitted to the Chattogram court.
However, Babul Akter has refused to make a confessional statement in court about murdering his wife.
Mahmuda Akter was killed five years ago in Chattogram. One Tuesday her father Mosharraf Hossain filed a fresh case, naming Babul Akter as the prime suspect. Babul had been the plaintiff in a previous case regarding the incident.
PBI took Babul Akter on remand on 12 May in the new case. At the end of a five-day remand on Monday, Babul Akter was taken to the court. He refused to make a confessional statement and the court ordered that he be sent to prison. Babul is now in Chattogram central jail.
The application submitted by PBI to the court states that while being interrogated on remand, Babul Akter admitted to murdering his wife. Detailing the matter in writing, PBI appealed to the court to take his confessional statement under Section 164.
After this appeal, the accused Babul Akter was taken to the Chattogram metropolitan magistrate’s chambers. He was there for around three hours bur refused to make a confessional statement.
Assistant commissioner (prosecution) of the city police, Kazi Shahabuddin Ahmed, told Prothom Alo, the accused Babul was taken to the chamber to make his confessional statement, but he refused to do so.
Investigating officer of the case, PBI’s Chattogram inspector Santosh Kumar Chakma, submitted an application to the court to take Babul’s confessional statement under Section 164. The application said, “This is a sensational case. While on remand, Babul Akter confessed to the killing of his wife. He agreed to make a confessional statement and this application has been made accordingly for his confessional statement to be taken.”
Babul was taken at 12:00pm on Monday to the magistrate’s chamber on the first floor of the Chattogram court building. At around 3:00pm he emerged from the building.
Investigating officer Santosh Kumar Chakma, speaking to Prothom Alo at the court premises, said while on remand, Babul had admitted to killing his wife. Initially he pretended not to know his ‘source’ Musa, but later admitted that Musa was his informant. He revealed other important information about the murder and these were being examined.
The investigating officer said that it had not been decided as yet whether Babul would be taken on remand again. The matter would be decided within a couple of days. Meanwhile, Babul’s lawyer has submitted an application asking for Babul to be given division in jail. Chattogram metropolitan magistrate Sarwar Jahan directed the prison authorities to decide the matter in accordance to the prison code.
Jailor of the Chattogram central jail, Dewan Mohammad Toriqul Islam, told Prothom Alo on Sunday afternoon that action will have to be taken after discussing the matter with the higher authorities.
Babul Akter was interrogated for 15 hours on the night of 23 June 2016 at the intelligence office in Dhaka. Then on 6 September that year he is said to have voluntarily resigned from police service.
Mahmuda Khanam was killed on 5 June 2016. She had been taking her son to the school bus when miscreants shot her and hacked her to death at the GEC intersection in Chattogram. Her husband Babul Akter was in Dhaka at the time. Earlier he had been additional deputy police commissioner of Chattogram detective branch of police. After the murder he filed a case with the Panchlaish police station, accusing unidentified persons. He had said militants may have killed his wife. However, a few days later, the entire case scenario changed.