The investigation into the escape of Raja, better known as ‘Pichchi Raja’, has taken a dramatic turn, with police saying he fled from Dhaka’s Tantibazar rather than from Gazipur as initially believed.
Pichchi Raja, 30, is an accused in around 30 cases. He has remained at large for eight days after escaping while being taken to Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur. Investigators have now found evidence suggesting that police personnel were involved in facilitating his escape.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the incident, including two police personnel and Pichchi Raja’s sister, Taslima. Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Israel Howlader disclosed the details at a press briefing at the police headquarters in Gazipur on Monday afternoon.
According to the police commissioner, a prison van carrying 29 accused people left the Dhaka District Judge’s Court under police escort. The vehicle later stopped near Popular Diagnostic Centre in the Tantibazar area of Dhaka.
At that point, Sub-Inspector Probir Biswas, the officer in charge of the escort team, allegedly took the keys of the prison van from its driver, Naik Kamal Hossain. He then brought Pichchi Raja and another detainee, Khairul Bashar, out of the van and took them towards the front section.
Khairul Bashar was then seated beside the driver’s seat. Pichchi Raja and SI Probir, however, did not return to the prison van, according to investigators.
Police say a private car was waiting nearby and Pichchi Raja left the area in that vehicle. The finding changes the location at the centre of the investigation, shifting it from Gazipur to Tantibazar in Dhaka.
Investigators also allege that the subsequent account of the escape was arranged to conceal what had actually happened. Police said SI Probir later arrived at the location mentioned in the first information report at around 8.30pm. He then boarded the prison van and, along with other members of the escort team, allegedly staged the incident described in the case statement.
Police said the arrests were made after investigators collected and examined witness statements, physical evidence and other relevant materials. Those arrested are Pichchi Raja’s sister Taslima, escort team leader SI Probir Kumar and prison van driver Naik Kamal Hossain.
Commissioner Howlader said Tk60,000 in cash was recovered from Kamal Hossain’s home during the investigation.
The case has also prompted departmental proceedings against the five police personnel who were responsible for escorting the accused. Two of them were arrested on Saturday on allegations that they helped Pichchi Raja escape. The remaining three officers are being kept under surveillance as the investigation continues.
Pichchi Raja has not yet been arrested despite eight days passing since his escape. Police are continuing to investigate how he was able to leave custody, who arranged the private vehicle that was waiting in Tantibazar and whether others were involved in facilitating his disappearance.
The latest findings have put the conduct of the police escort team under particular scrutiny. Investigators are examining the sequence of events from the departure of the prison van from the Dhaka District Judge’s Court until Pichchi Raja’s disappearance, with the aim of establishing the full circumstances surrounding the escape.
