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After more than 26 years behind bars, Chattogram's ‘notorious criminal’ Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, commonly known as 'Shibir Nasir,' has been released from prison.
Nasir was freed on bail from Chattogram Central Jail on Sunday evening, according to Senior Jail Superintendent Muhammad Manjur Hossain.
"Nasir was facing two final cases. After receiving and verifying the bail documents for these cases, he was released on bail at around 7:00 pm," Manjur said, reports bdnews24.com.
Police arrested Nasir on Apr 6, 1998, his lawyer, Monjur Morshed Ansari, said.
He was released on Sunday evening after spending 26 years, 4 months, and 5 days in prison.
According to Advocate Ansari, Nasir faced 36 cases, of which he was acquitted in 31.
Although he was convicted in two cases, his time served in prison covered these sentences.
"In one of the last three murder cases, Nasir was granted bail last Thursday by a Speedy Trial Tribunal due to his prolonged imprisonment. The other two cases were withdrawn by the prosecution, allowing for his release from jail on Sunday," Ansari added.
Nasir was a prominent criminal figure in Chattogram during the 1990s. His involvement with Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, the party that opposed Bangladesh’s independence in the 1971 Liberation War, made him widely known as 'Shibir Nasir.'
In 1997, a major clash between Nasir and police during an operation to arrest him in the Chawk Bazar area drew significant attention in Chattogram.
He was finally arrested by police in April 1998 at a dormitory in Chattogram College.
Reports suggest that Nasir could have been released earlier, but he avoided seeking bail in his remaining cases, fearing a 'crossfire' incident involving Rapid Action Battalion and the police.
After 'crossfire' incidents were halted in 2022, Nasir applied for bail, though these requests were initially denied by the court.