Fugitive life-term convict arrested

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested a fugitive convict who was sentenced to life imprisonment in a seven-year-old murder case.

The convict, Tota Mia, 45, was arrested from the Kamarpara area in Turag thana of the capital on Saturday, RAB-7 Commander Lieutenant Colonel MA Yusuf told The Business Standard.

On 21 January 2015, a man named Zillur Rahman Bhandari was shot dead in front of Ranirhat Primary School in Rangunia Upazila of Chattogram.

Later, Mohammad Azim Uddin, the victim's younger brother, filed a murder case with the Rangunia police station, mentioning the names of eight people and leaving 4-5 others anonymous.

On 15 February 2022, a district court sentenced two accused to death and six others to life imprisonment. Tota Mia is one of those sentenced to life imprisonment.

RAB-7 Commander Lieutenant Colonel MA Yusuf said, "Tota Mia and other accused were arrested soon after the case filing. But they got out of jail securing bail soon after arrests and have been absconding since then."

Tota Mia had been running from district to district in the guise of a driver for the past seven years. He was cut off from his family and relatives, and did not use mobile phones, the RAB official said.

We first learned about the Tota's whereabouts on 7 April this year after arresting Md Kamal – another life-term convict in the case and a top terrorist, he said.

"After hiding in different districts for many years, Tota came to Dhaka's Uttara where he used to drive a battery-run auto-rickshaw. He also grew his beard to hide from law enforcers," said Senior Assistant Director of RAB-7 Md Nurul Absar who led the raid to detain Tota.

The two death-row convicts – Shahidul Islam Khokon and Pistol Ismail – in the Bhandari murder case, are currently absconding.

Of the six life-term convicts, Md Kamal and Tota Mia have been arrested while Dhama Abu, Jasim Uddin, Nashir, and Suman are on the run.