Pradeep masterminded Sinha murder, Liaquat is the killer: Chargesheet

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has submitted the chargesheet of the much-talked retired army major Sinha Mohammad Rashed Khan murder case, mentioning suspended OC Pradeep as the mastermind and Liaquat as the killer.

The report was filed in Cox's Bazar senior judicial magistrate's court by RAB-15 officer Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Khairul Alam on Sunday accusing 15 people, including OC Pradeep. 

The chargesheet of the case was under investigation for more than four months, has been submitted to the Cox's Bazar court at around 10:40am on Sunday.

RAB, the investigating agency of the case, has so far found evidence of the involvement of 15 people in the murder. Of them, 14 are currently in jail and one of OC Pradeep's associates named, Sagar has been shown as a fugitive.

After submitting the report to the court ASP Khairul Alam said, "We have investigated the Sinha murder case in various ways. The information obtained in the investigation has been submitted as the chargesheet."

Why did Pradeep plan to kill Sinha?

The elite force revealed the reasons behind the murder during a briefing in Dhaka today after submitting the chargesheet.

During the media brief, Lieutenant Colonel Ashique Billah, director of RAB Legal and Media wing, said, "While shooting for a documentary as a youtuber in Teknaf in June this year, Sinha Rashed Khan came to know about the involvement of Pradeep in illegal yaba trading and how he used to terrorise the local people abusing his power.

For the documentary, Sinha took interviews of some locals in Teknaf.

Pradeep wanted to cover up all his misdeeds, which could be revealed by Sinha. Thus Sinha became a threat to OC Pradeep. Initially, Sinha was threatened when he went to take OC Pradeep's statement on his involvement in yaba smuggling, the RAB official said. So, OC Pradeep made a plan to kill Sinha.

Later, as per Pradeep's order over phone, SI Liakat Ali shot retired major Sinha to death at Shamlapur police check-post at Teknaf's Baharchhara union, on Cox's Bazar Marine Drive, on the night of 31 July this year.

"Chargesheet of the case is invalid," claims the accused lawyer

Mahmud Salah Uddin, the lawyer in the revision case of the accused, has commented that the charge sheet of Sinha murder case is invalid.

According to him, Sinha murder case was not lawful. "We have applied for dismissal of the case at the revision hearing," he added. 

If the case is canceled, the final report will also be canceled. At the same time, remand of the accused in this case and accountability under section 164 will also be challenged, he said.

Witnesses claim Sinha death a murder

Retired major Sinha was killed in police firing at Shamlapur police check-post at Teknaf's Baharchhara union, on Cox's Bazar Marine Drive, on the night of 31 July this year.

Later on 5 August, Sinha's sister Sharmin Shahriar Ferdous filed a murder case against nine people, including former Teknaf Police Station OC Pradeep Kumar Das.

Why the killing of Major Sinha is a fresh assault on the state

The main accused in the case was Liakat Ali, the inspector in charge of the Baharchhara police outpost, who shot Sinha. Teknaf Police Station OC (dismissed) Pradeep Kumar Das has been made the No. 2 accused.

Liaquat had consulted with him over the phone before the shooting, the statement reads. Liaquat shot Sinha in the head with a cold blood at the OC's "persuasion and direction". It is alleged in the case that Pradeep later went to the spot and tried to mutilate Sinha by hitting him on the face and various parts of the body with his shoes.

The third accused in the case is Teknaf Police Station SI Dulal Rakshit, who filed a case under the Narcotics and Weapons Act after Sinha's death.  The seven accused policemen then surrendered to the court. In the course of investigation, RAB arrested a total of 14 people, including three locals, including APBN and Pradeep's bodyguard, in connection with the murder.