The escape of Raja, widely known as ‘Pichchi Raja’, has taken a new turn after police investigators found that he did not flee in Gazipur as initially believed. Instead, the accused, who faces around 30 cases, allegedly escaped from police custody in Dhaka’s Tantibazar area with the involvement of members of the police.
Police said three people, including two police personnel and Pichchi Raja’s sister, have been arrested over the incident. The arrests followed the collection and examination of witness statements, physical evidence and other materials linked to the case.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Israel Howlader disclosed the findings at a press briefing at the police headquarters in Gazipur on Monday afternoon.
According to the commissioner, a prison van carrying 29 accused people left the Dhaka District Judge’s Court under a police escort. The vehicle later stopped near Popular Diagnostic Centre in Tantibazar, Dhaka.
Investigators found that Sub-Inspector Probir Biswas, who was in charge of the escort team, took the prison van’s keys from its driver, Naik Kamal Hossain. He then brought Pichchi Raja and another detainee, identified as Khairul Bashar, out of the vehicle and towards the front section of the van.
Khairul Bashar subsequently sat beside the driver’s seat. Pichchi Raja, however, did not return to the prison van. Neither did SI Probir, according to the police account.
Investigators say a private car was waiting nearby and Pichchi Raja left the area in that vehicle. The discovery significantly changes the understanding of the escape, as the incident was initially associated with the journey to Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur.
Police also allege that the subsequent account of the incident was deliberately constructed to conceal what had actually happened in Tantibazar. Investigators said SI Probir later arrived at the location mentioned in the case statement at around 8.30pm. He then boarded the prison van and, along with members of the escort team, allegedly arranged the circumstances described in the first information report.
Based on the evidence gathered during the investigation, police arrested Pichchi Raja’s sister Taslima, escort team leader SI Probir Kumar and prison van driver Naik Kamal Hossain. Police Commissioner Howlader said Tk60,000 in cash was recovered from Kamal Hossain’s home during the operation.
The arrests have raised questions over the security procedures followed while transporting detainees and the responsibilities of officers assigned to escort prison vans. The involvement of serving police personnel has also prompted a departmental investigation into the conduct of those responsible for the prisoner transfer.
Pichchi Raja, 30, has remained at large for eight days since escaping from police custody while being taken to Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur. Police have yet to arrest him.
Five police personnel who were responsible for the transfer have faced departmental proceedings over the escape. Of them, two officers were arrested on Saturday on allegations that they helped Pichchi Raja evade custody. The remaining three officers are also being monitored as part of the investigation.
Police are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the waiting private car, the movements of the accused after leaving Tantibazar and the alleged role of those who assisted him. Investigators are also expected to assess whether the recovered cash and other evidence have any connection with the escape.
The case has drawn attention because the accused was being transported under police escort and the alleged escape took place before the prison van reached its destination. The latest findings have therefore shifted the focus of the investigation from Gazipur to Dhaka’s Tantibazar, where police now believe the actual escape occurred.
