Mystery is deepening by the day around the death of businessman Sohel Rana in Kuliarchar, Kishoreganj. At first the incident was thought to be merely a motorcycle accident. But with the evidence at the scene, the behaviour and movements of suspects, and the disappearance of a bag of a large sum of money that the deceased had been carrying, there is now a strong claim that it was a planned killing.
The deceased’s family clearly alleges that it was no road accident — that Sohel Rana was killed in a planned manner. A murder case has been filed in a Kishoreganj court naming eight people, along with four or five unidentified persons. The court has assigned the case to the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) for investigation.
Sohel Rana, 35, was the youngest son of the late Siraj Mia of the Panaullahchar area in Shibpur union of Bhairab upazila. He was a shareholder in a business called “Mohammad Adhesive Co” established in the local Panaullahchar area, and was also a director of its branch, “Messrs Sohel Enterprise.” The government has large revenue dues outstanding from those two firms.
On Saturday (16 May), at around 8:30 pm, he was returning home to Bhairab by motorcycle after collecting business dues in Bajitpur. A little later, locals saw him lying bloodied beside the road near the Kashmiri Ideal School in the Borkharchar neighbourhood of Kuliarchar municipality.
They also saw a motorcycle lying a little distance away. He was later rescued in an injured state and taken to Bhagalpur Zahurul Islam Medical College and Hospital, where the doctor on duty declared him dead.
The family says Sohel Rana was riding home at night after collecting business dues. On news that he had died in a road accident, relatives took the body home from the hospital without filing any case, and he was buried the next day, Sunday (17 May), after the Zuhr prayer at the local Shambhupur Pakkar Matha graveyard, without an inquest report or autopsy.
It was initially understood that Sohel Rana had lost control of his motorcycle and had an accident at a raised, island-like barrier built on the road for crossing a dredger pipe. But various pieces of information that have emerged since are now casting doubt on that account.
According to locals, the deceased and the motorcycle were found some distance from the raised barrier. Most surprisingly, no damage of any kind was found on the motorcycle. In a high-speed accident, the front of a motorcycle usually breaks or is crushed; but Sohel Rana’s motorcycle was found intact, locals said.
On the other hand, a serious injury was found on the back of the deceased’s head, which has deepened locals’ suspicions. Their question is: if he merely lost control and fell, how did such a severe injury come to the back of his head, while the motorcycle was not damaged?
The most mysterious aspect of the incident is the disappearance of the money bag Sohel Rana had been carrying. The family says he had collected about Tk 1.5 to 2 lakh from various places, but after the accident the bag he had with him was not found. A cut piece of the bag’s strap was later recovered near the scene, it is learned.
Locals believe attackers lying in wait on the road may have struck the back of his head. After being struck, he lost control and fell some distance away, and the attackers then fled with his money bag. Locals believe a heavy object may have been used in the attack.
Demanding that the mystery of Sohel Rana’s death be uncovered through a proper investigation and that the killers be given exemplary punishment, the deceased’s elder brother, Shahin Ahmed, filed the case. The case names, on suspicion of involvement in the killing, Ilias, 50, son of the late Abdul Jalil of Borkharchar village in the upazila; Mojibur Mia, 48, son of Kanchan Member; Tutul Mia, 35; and four or five unidentified persons.
In the complaint, Shahin Ahmed stated that when Sohel Rana’s body was being washed the next day, on 17 May, they saw a swelling and a roughly half-inch puncture wound on the middle of the back of the head, caused by a blow from a heavy object.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report