Murder case: HC blasts ‘Superman’ SI for ‘cinematic’ probe

The High Court has blasted a sub-inspector of Manikganj Sadar Police Station for allegedly conducting a “perfunctory” investigation of a murder case, saying it was done in a “cinematic way”.

The court said the police official submitted the charge sheet hurriedly and provided false information before the court.

The HC came up with the observation on an order it gave recently.

Md Rubel, 22, a labour, was killed in a hatchery in Manikganj at 12:10am on September 24 last year.

SI Masudur Rahman, the investigation officer (IO), conducted the probe into the murder case and submitted the charge sheet along with 13 recorded statements of witnesses to the court.

“The chronological facts, as recorded in the case diary, suggest that in fact, the IO started investigation of the case at 9:00am on September 25, 2022 and submitted the charge sheet at 7:30pm on the same day i.e within ten and half hours from starting his investigation of a brutal murder. The volume of works, as is revealed from the Case Docket, including the documentation of his task, is not possible for a normal being. It is only possible in a cinema or movie of by a superman.”

“It appears that the investigating officer made false statement before this court. … For such types of misdeeds and falsehood, he should be punished,” the court said in its observation.

“Since, prima facie, it appears to us that the investigation of the case was done by the investigating officer in a cinematographic way and suffers from unreality, a doubt has cast in our mind that the investigation was perfunctory one and the case should not be proceeded further on the basis of such investigation,” the HC bench of Justice Md Badruzzaman and Justice SM Masud Hossain Dolon said in the seven-page full text order which was released recently.

In the full text of order, the HC asked the superintendent of police (SP) of Manikganj to suspend SI Masudur Rahman and directed the police bureau of investigation (PBI) to conduct a further investigation into the murder case and to submit its report before the court in 60 days.

The SP of Manikganj has been directed to keep SI Masudur suspended from service till further order.

Earlier on April 3, the bench delivered the order following a petition filed by Champa Aktar alias Anjona, wife of deceased Rubel, and her brother Md Sohel alias Nurunabi, who is an accused of the case.

The petition was filed challenging the legality of SI Masudur’s action for probing the case and submitting charge sheet in unusual speed, and seeking necessary directives.