A suspect in a murder case died while in the custody of the Detective Branch (DB) of police in Bogura today, with police claiming that he died by suicide inside a bathroom at the DB office.
The deceased, identified as Asad, was a resident of Sariakandi upazila and one of the prime suspects in the recent murder of CNG auto-rickshaw driver Abdul Mannan.
According to police, Mannan's body was recovered on June 29 from a wetland area at Paikartali in Sariakandi.
He was a resident of Maliandanga village in Gabtoli upazila. Mannan had gone missing after leaving home with his CNG auto-rickshaw for work.
Although his body was recovered the following day, the vehicle has yet to be traced.
During the investigation, DB police identified three people allegedly involved in the killing and arrested Asad.
Police claimed that during preliminary interrogation, he confessed to his involvement in the murder and disclosed the identities of two other alleged accomplices.
Based on the information provided by Asad, detectives conducted overnight raids to arrest the remaining suspects before bringing him back to the DB office.
Police said Asad entered a bathroom at around 10:30am today. When he did not come out after a prolonged period, officers broke open the door and allegedly found him hanging from the ceiling with a lungi tied around his neck.
He was immediately taken to hospital, where the attending physician declared him dead.
Bogura Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Ops) Hossain Mohammad Raihan said police initially believe the death to be a case of suicide. However, he said the exact cause of death would be determined after a post-mortem examination and a legal investigation.
He also said drives are continuing to arrest the remaining absconding suspects in the Abdul Mannan murder case. Police said an inquiry and all other legal procedures required in cases of death in custody are currently underway.
