Drug peddler dies in Rab custody

8 March 2009, 18:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Dinajpur

A 'drug peddler', arrested by Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on Saturday night, allegedly committed suicide by hanging from the ceiling while he was under custody, police said. Family members of the dead, Md Zohurul Islam, 30, hailing from Sonapur village under Panchbibi upazila of Joypurhat, however, claimed that Zohurul Islam was tortured to death in Rab custody. Rab sources said they arrested Zohurul, a drug peddler and wanted criminal of Joypurhat, with 491 bottles of phensidyl from Dugdugi village in Ghoraghat upazila of Dinajpur at 11:00pm on Saturday and recovered 491 bottles of phensidyl from his possession. Rab officials found his body hanging from the ceiling when Rab men went to serve his breakfast yesterday morning, Rab said, adding that later the body was sent to Joypurhat Sadar Hospital for autopsy after visit by Joypurhat Sadar UNO and a first class magistrate. When contacted, Major Shah Ali of Joypurhat Rab-5 said the drug peddler hanged himself from the ceiling with his trouser.