Murder accused dies in ‘police custody’

An accused in a murder case died reportedly under custody of Bagerhat Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) on Monday, reports UNB.

The deceased was identified as Raja Fakir, 20, of Khanjahan Ali Dighir Par area of sadar upazila.

PBI members brought Raja to the hospital around 1:20pm saying that he fell sick, the news agency quoted KM Humayun Kabir, civil surgeon of Bagerhat, as saying.

Later, the physicians declared him dead.

According to PBI source, a team of PBI arrested Raja from his relative’s house in Patuakhali on Sunday night and later he was brought to Bagerhat.

Raja was an accused in a case filed over the killing of a teenage boy on 18 October 2019 in the upazila, said Jahidul Islam, superintendent of Bagerhat PBI.

He said that Raja fell sick during investigation and later he was taken to hospital where physicians declared him dead.

Family members, however, claimed that Raja was tortured to death.