Court grants Don five-day remand in Salman Shah murder case

A Dhaka court placed actor Ashraful Haque, popularly known as Don, on a five-day remand for questioning in the murder case over the 1996 death of Dhallywood star Salman Shah.

Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana passed the order on Thursday (August 27) after a hearing on a seven-day remand plea filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Don was brought to the court from jail earlier in the day, according to the court sources.

Investigators said custodial questioning could help uncover crucial information about the circumstances surrounding Salman Shah’s death, identify other alleged suspects and trace their whereabouts.

The CID also wants to question Don about an alleged attempt to leave the country despite a travel restriction, including how he planned to travel abroad and whether anyone assisted him.

The remand hearing drew groups of Salman Shah fans to the court premises, where they formed a human chain demanding justice in the decades-old case. Holding banners, demonstrators called for the arrest of the other accused, including Salman Shah’s former wife Samira Haque and several others named in the case.

Don was detained by immigration police near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on August 9 and was later sent to jail by a Dhaka court. His bail plea was subsequently rejected.

Salman Shah died on September 6, 1996. The incident was initially registered as an unnatural death case with Ramna Police Station.

After years of legal proceedings, a Dhaka court on October 20, 2025, ordered the case to be treated as a murder case, following a revision petition by the complainant side. Salman Shah’s uncle Mohammad Alamgir filed the murder case with Ramna Police Station the following day.

The case names 11 accused, including Samira Huq, her mother Latifa Huq Lucy, businessman and former film producer Aziz Mohammad Bhai, and Don, along with several unidentified individuals.

The complaint alleges that Salman Shah was killed as part of a premeditated conspiracy involving the accused.