Seized mobiles may solve Bhola clash mystery

Police have put high hopes on two seized mobile phone sets, and say those may contain evidence of how the deadly clash erupted in Bhola. The smartphones were confiscated from Biplab Chandra Shuvo and Sharif, who are now in police custody in case filed under the Digital Security Act.

Borhanuddin police OC Mohammad Inamul Hoque said they will send the mobile phones to the forensic labs of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Dhaka.

Meantime, police sources said the three people who have been arrested are not admitting to involvement in the incident. Therefore, the case now largely depends on a forensic report. 

The investigation officer of the case has already applied to the court seeking permission to send those to Dhaka. 

On Sunday, four people were killed and hundreds injured in Borhanuddin upazila of Bhola in clashes between police and local people. The local people were demonstrating for punishment of Biplab Chandra Shuvo who, they claimed, had hurt their religious sentiment in a Facebook post.

However, police say Biplab filed a general diary on Friday after his Facebook account was hacked. When he was filing the general diary at the police station, someone called on his mobile phone and demanded extortion money. Biplab informed the police about it instantly and police notified the superintendent of police in Bhola. 

Using technology, police tracked and arrested two men, namely Sharif, who called Biplob to demand money, and Emon over hacking Biplob's Facebook account.

Police say that some comments made on Facebook by using Biplob's account angered religious people in the area. Consequently the Muslim scholars in the area demanded capital punishment for Biplab.

The protesters said they will organise a protest rally in the local Eidgah on Sunday. It later turned into mayhem and the protestors got into sporadic clashes with the police.   

On Monday, Additional Inspector General of Police of Barisal range Md Shafiqul Islam updated the press about the investigation.  

He told the media, "The investigation of the case involves some technical issues. Police are in touch with the people who manage Facebook. We are waiting for their response."