The Police Bureau of Investigation has charged Babul Akter, a former superintendent of police, as the main suspect in a case he initiated over the murder of his wife, Mahmuda Akter Mitu, in Chattogram six years ago.
The PBI also pressed charges against six other suspects in Mitu's murder, reports bdnews24.com.
The investigation team in the case submitted the charges to a Chattogram court on Tuesday.
"In the course of the investigation, Babul Akter emerged as the main suspect. We have repeatedly said why the killing took place. The probe lasted almost two and a half years from February 2020. We have uncovered the involvement of suspect No. 1 Babul Akter in the murder," said Naima Sultana, head of the investigation team.
Asked about the identities of the other suspects, she said, "We have charged those we found to be guilty in our investigation. Their identities will be revealed during the trial process."
Chattogram's Metropolitan Sessions Judge Jebunnessa Begum oversees the conduct of the case.
ADC Kamrul Hasan of Chattogram Metropolitan Police Prosecution Branch said the court will examine the charges and hold a hearing on Oct 10.
Babul Akter lodged two complaints with the court last week, alleging that he was tortured in custody for a confession and that his cell was searched in breach of the jail code. A hearing on the two applications is scheduled for Oct 19.
Mitu was hacked and shot dead near the GEC Intersection in Chattogram on the morning of Jun 5, 2016, while she was taking her son to school. It happened a few days after Babul, who had been promoted to the rank of superintendent, joined the police headquarters in Dhaka.
After the incident, Babul started a case against a few unnamed suspects with the port city's Panchlaish Police Station.
It had initially been suspected that Babul’s actions against militants led to the murder of Mitu, but the investigation took a sharp turn after her family pointed the finger at Babul.
About five years later, Mitu’s father Mosharraf Hossain, a former police officer, filed a new case against his son-in-law with Panchlaish Police Station in Chattogram. Babul and eight others stand accused in the case.