Murder accused escapes from Dhaka court after slipping off handcuffs

A murder accused named Kausar Mia has escaped from the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court. On Tuesday (10 November), he slipped away from the courtroom of Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court-1 in Dhaka.

According to court sources, the day was fixed for witness testimony in the murder case filed with Dakshin Khan police station in the capital. He was brought to court from Kashimpur jail in Gazipur for the hearing.

During the hearing, he was taken from the court's lock-up to the courtroom. As no witness appeared that day, the court fixed a new date for recording testimony.

Later, while preparations were under way to take him back from the courtroom to the lock-up, the accused dodged the police officer on duty and escaped.

Mohsin Hossain, inspector of the court's prosecution division, said Kausar Mia escaped from the dock at around 12:40 pm after removing his handcuffs.

Constable Arafat was responsible for bringing him from the court lock-up and taking him back. He said the accused was handcuffed in the dock. He went to the front of the court to bring his custody papers, and in that moment the accused removed his handcuffs and fled.

According to the case, 17-year-old Alo was stabbed to death in a bathroom on 20 July 2020 in the Dakshinpara area of Dakshin Khan, Dhaka. The next day, her father Rabiul Islam filed a case against unknown persons.

During the investigation, police arrested Kausar from the Tongi area the same day. The next day, Kausar gave a confessional statement in court admitting guilt.

In his statement, he said he had been in a relationship with Alo for about a year. Some time before the incident, she had stopped paying attention to him. Kausar learned that Alo was in a relationship with another boy, and she avoided him whenever he tried to talk to her.

On 20 July 2020, Kausar waited in front of Alo's house. At around 9 pm, she left the house to go to the bathroom, which Kausar saw. When she came out of the bathroom to fetch a bucket from the house, Kausar held her and tried to talk. When Alo refused to talk, Kausar said he stabbed her in the chest and back with a knife.

After the investigation, Sub-Inspector Sujan Chandra Karmakar of Dakshin Khan police station submitted a charge sheet accusing Kausar on 30 June 2021. The trial in the case began on 20 July 2022 with the framing of charges against the accused.

So far, Alo's father Rabiul and her elder sister Rabbina Akter have testified in the case.