Man caught up in arms case for 22 years because of namesake, fails to travel to Saudi Arabia

I had just returned home after work and taken my daughter into my arms 4 November 2025. At that moment, the police arrived in the yard to arrest me. I knew it was that old arms case. I showed the police the previous documents. The people around also came forward, saying that I was not the accused in that case.

But the police did not listen to anyone. They handcuffed me and took me to the outpost. After spending a night at the Dohar police station, I was sent to the central jail.

Inside, I was shattered. I couldn't eat. I would lie down, thinking why, despite committing no crime or injustice, I had to remain in jail month after month! I would cry. Other inmates would console me, offering comfort. During this time, I missed my daughter's face the most.

In 2004, I was about 10 or 12 years old. One day, I was returning home with cattle from the field when the police stopped me and took me into custody. People from the area protested at the police station after hearing the news. Later, I was released.

In 2018, I was detained again. At that time, I realised that due to a name match, I was being sought as an accused in someone else's case. I learned that an arms case was filed on 10 April 2002, at the Mirpur police station in Dhaka. The accused was Almas Hossain, son of Khaleel Ahmed from South Bahra village. He was sentenced to 10 years. After being released on bail, he went abroad. But due to the similarity in his name and his father's name with mine, I got into trouble.

My name is Md. Almas, and my father’s name is Sheikh Khaleel. The accused's name is Almas Hossain, and his father's name is Khaleel Ahmed.

Despite the names being nearly identical, we are different people. To prove this, I took a certificate from the then-chairman of our union, Amzad Hossain Azad. The chairman of Kusumhati union Parishad, Abdul Wahab Dohari, also gave me a certificate. Those certificates stated that I was not the accused in that case.

I have never lived in Dhaka. I don't even know Mirpur. Yet my name and address came up as the accused in the case. My mother’s name is Rashnara/Rasara Begum, while the real accused Almas Hossain's mother’s name is Salma Akhtar. Had these details been verified, maybe I wouldn’t have faced such a situation, or endured this harassment for so long.

I got married in 2017. Initially, my wife (Bannya Akhtar) didn't know about the hassle of this case. She found out after I was detained again in 2018. Since then, alongside the joys and sorrows of family life, she had to handle this legal complication with me.

After 2018, I thought maybe I would be free from this hassle this time. I had taken certificates from the chairmen and revealed my identity. After that, the police didn't come to the house. I didn’t have to attend court hearings either. So, gradually, I tried to settle into a normal life. I learned to work at an electrician's shop in Kartikpur Bazar. Gradually, I started supporting the family by doing electric work.

Since 2018, I also tried to go abroad. In 2025, I even got a visa for Saudi Arabia. For that, I had deposited 4. 5 lakh taka. I had arranged this money by taking loans. But before going abroad, I was arrested.

While in jail, one day some inmates called me over and said there was news about me in the newspaper. From them, I learned that a report on my case was done by the Prothom Alo. I’m not very educated, having studied up to the third grade. Others read the report aloud to me. Hearing the news, I felt like maybe there would be progress this time. Maybe I would get justice and be free.

Family members also went to court for my release. On 8 November, the High Court ordered my swift release. I was released from Dhaka's Keraniganj Central Jail on 10 November. I returned home after a year. Relatives and neighbors came. There were smiles on my wife and children's faces. But this past year, my wife had to endure a lot. She had to look after one son, one daughter, and her elderly in-laws. Even after hearing about the release order, she waited at the jail gate for two days.

Indeed, I have come back from jail, but I can't focus on work as before. Neither my body nor my mind is the same. I keep recalling the days spent in jail without being guilty. I feel like 12 months have taken over 12 years of my life.

While imprisoned, my Saudi visa got canceled as well. The money has become a burden of debt. I hope the government seeks a fair trial for the loss in my life.

Why was I harassed for so many years for a crime I didn’t commit? Why did I have to spend a year in jail? Why do I have to start a new life under the weight of debt?

The lost time over 22 years, broken dreams, and the suffering of my family cannot be regained. Now I only want justice for the damage in my life.