Liaqat verified Sinha’s identity after shooting him, say arrested APBn members

The suspended in-charge of Baharchara Police Investigation Centre Liaqat Ali verified retired army Major Sinha Md Rashed Khan's identity after fatally shooting him, confessed the Armed Police Battalion (APBn) members before court.

The two arrested APBn members, former assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Shahjahan and former constable Rajib, gave confessional statements in the Sinha murder case on Thursday.

The two were produced before Cox's Bazar Senior Judicial Magistrate (Teknaf) Tamanna Farah to record their statements after which the court sent them to jail.

The magistrate took around four and half hours to write over twenty pages of confessional statements, said sources at the court.

"When asked if Sinha was carrying a gun while getting out of the car, the APBn members said they do not know as Liaqat and former sub-inspector (SI) Nandadulal created a barricade using drums, and APBn members saw them from a distance," sources at the court told The Business Standard.

"Liaqat sir seemed ruthless that night. We could see the incident clearly after the firing, even though he was ferocious after he shot Sinha. The retired major was breathing for few moments after he was shot and Liaqat was verifying his identity at that time," the APBn members told the magistrate, said sources.

"Just 24 minutes after the shooting the then officer-in-charge (OC) Pradeep Kumar Das arrived at the scene. After that, everything happened according to Pradeep sir's directive. We were just puppets at the check post," the APBn members told the magistrate.

Earlier, on Wednesday another APBn member former constable Md Abdullah gave a confessional statement before the Cox's Bazar Senior Judicial Magistrates' court over the killing.

Liaqat Ali did not act professionally on the night he shot retired army Major Sinha Md Rashed Khan, said Abdullah during his confessional statement before a court on Wednesday. 

"Everything happened within a few minutes that night, but I can say what Liaqat sir did from the beginning was not professional. He seemed like a ferocious person who was looking for a prey, and he found one," Abdullah added.

"Liakat and Nandadulal sir did not allow us to talk and they took over control of the check post at that time," Abdullah added.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Tamanna Farah recorded more than 17 pages of Abdullah's statement for three hours, Khairul Islam, investigating officer of the Sinha murder case, told The Business Standard.

Abdullah was on the spot along with two other APBn members when Sinha was killed in police firing in Cox's Bazar's Marine Drive on the night of July 31.

On August 5, Sinha's elder sister filed a murder case against former OC of Teknaf Police Station Pradeep Kumar Das, Baharchhara police outpost in-charge Inspector Liaqat Ali, SI Nandalal Rakkhit and nine others. Pradeep surrendered before court the next day.

On August 17, the investigating agency, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), arrested the three APBn members over their alleged involvement in the killing. They were on duty at the APBn check-post on the Cox's Bazar Marine Drive on the night when Sinha was killed.

They were suspended a day after they were arrested and were put on seven-day remand for interrogation.