Gold trader Arav Khan gets life in prison in policeman murder case

A Dhaka court has sentenced eight people, including gold trader and Dubai-based fugitive Rabiul Islam, aka Arav Khan, to life in prison in the murder case of Inspector Mamun Imran Khan from the police’s Special Branch (SB).

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Zakir Hossain Ghalib delivered the verdict in the seven-year-old case on Thursday, reports bdnews24.com.

The other convicts are Arav's wife, Suraiya Akhter Keya, 21, Rahmat Ullah, 35, Swapan Sarkar, 39, Didar Pathan, 21, Mizan Sheikh, 21, Atiq Hasan alias Dilu Sheikh, 21, and Sarwar Hossain, 23.

Arav and Keya are absconding. Rahmat Ullah and Sarwar Hossain had been out on bail, but appeared in court for the verdict. The four other suspects were brought to court from jail.

After the verdict, warrants were issued for the convicts’ arrests, and the six were sent to jail. Warrants have also been issued against Arav and his wife.

Inspector Mamun was killed on Jul 8, 2018, while going to a house in Banani with his friend Rahmat Ullah. An investigation found that the following day, his body was stuffed in a sack and taken to the Ulukhola forest, doused with petrol and set on fire.

After Mamun's body was recovered from the forest in Gazipur, his brother Jahangir Alam Khan filed a murder case with Banani Police Station.

On Apr 8, 2019, the investigation officer of the case, Detective Branch (DB) Inspector Sheikh Mahbubur Rahman, submitted the chargesheet.

The charge sheet stated that a gang led by Arav used to trap wealthy people and extort them for money. Their goal was to trap Rahmat Ullah, take “indecent” photos and blackmail him. The gang staged a birthday party and invited Rahmat to the house in Banani for the event. Mamun accompanied his friend Rahmat to the spot and was killed.

At the time, Additional Deputy Commissioner of DB Shahidur Rahman was involved in the investigation of the case. He said that 10 people were accused in the chargesheet over Mamun’s murder.

On Nov 25, 2021, the accused were indicted in the case.

It was revealed in 2023 that Rabiul was in Dubai under the name Arav Khan during the inauguration of a jewellery store there called Arav Jewellers.

When cricket star Shakib Al Hasan and other notable figures in entertainment rushed to the event, Arav came into the spotlight.

The police then said that they confirmed that Arav was Rabiul.

It was also learnt that after the case was filed, Rabiul fled to India. Later, he got an Indian passport under the name Arav Khan and moved to Dubai.

The Bangladesh police have also issued an Interpol red notice to arrest Arav and bring him to justice. However, since it was not possible to bring him back, the trial continued in his absence.

Of the 38 witnesses in the charge sheet, 26 testified in court.

After the arguments by the state and the defence concluded on Feb 18, the court set Mar 5 as the date for the verdict. The verdict was subsequently postponed three times until it was delivered on Thursday.

On May 9, 2023, the Dhaka Metropolitan Special Tribunal had sentenced Arav to 10 years in prison in an arms case.

According to the case dossier, on Jan 28, 2015, Arav went to his house in Moghbazar, Dhaka, to extort money from his father-in-law Sekender Ali. Later, the police arrested him in front of the house with a revolver loaded with bullets.

After securing bail in the case on Mar 14, 2018, Arav fled. The court issued a warrant for his arrest on Oct 24 of that year.