How death row convicts escaped from Bogura jail

Four death row inmates escaped from the Bogura District Jail breaking through the roof of the prison using only a screwdriver and a steel sheet. Within an hour and a half of fleeing the jail, they were arrested by the police. Although their adventurous attempt failed just after crossing the river flowing beside the prison, questions have been raised over the security measures adopted by the jail authorities.

This escape of the four inmates sheds light on the fragile security system of the prison. Making a hole in the roof was not completed in a day but over a long period of time. The question is how the prisoners successfully dodged the jail authorities for many a day. The answer to this question is yet to be known.

The four inmates reportedly escaped from the prison around 3:00 am on Wednesday (June 26). Their objective was to cross the Karatoya River which is flowing just beside the jail boundary. They planned to go to their destination after crossing the river. But they were arrested just 500 metres away from the jail in the early morning. The police assumed that the prisoners would choose the river as the escape route. So, vigilance was increased along the river banks.

The four prisoners
The four inmates who escaped from jail are Amir Hamza (41) from Fajarkandi village in Narsingdi; Nazrul Islam Manjur (60) from Diadanga village under Bhurungamari upazila in Kurigram; Zakaria (34) from Ulatta village under Kahalu upazila in Bogura; and Farid Sheikh (30) from Kutirbari village under Sadar upazila in Bogura. All four accused have been sentenced to death in murder cases.

Among them, Amir Hamza and Nazrul Islam Manjur hacked to death four members of the same family at Diadanga village in Bhurungamari on January 14, 2014. The court sentenced them to death on February 16, 2021, in that case.

According to police, there are 12 cases against these four convicts on various charges including murder, and robbery.

SP's press briefing
Bogura Superintendent of Police Sudip Kumar Chakraborty held a press briefing in the conference room of his office on Wednesday (June 26) morning after the arrest of four fugitive prisoners.

At the briefing, the SP said, “The inmates first got out through the hole in the roof. They passed the boundary wall of the jail using a rope made of bed sheets and clothes. The police started searching for the fugitives in Bogura city early in the morning after getting news from the jail authorities. After about one hour, all the four escapees were arrested from Chashibazar in the city's Chelopara area.”

He said the convicts were identified using the photos sent from the district jail. Later, they were taken to the office of the detective branch (DB) of the district police. Jail authorities identified them there.

The arrest of the escapees
After receiving information about the escape of the convicts from the jail, the members of the law and order forces launched an operation to arrest them. Sub-Inspector (SI) of Bogura Sadar Police Outpost Khorshed Alam was looking for them along the banks of Karatoya River. At one point, he met four people at Chashibazar in Chelopara area of the city. He and his accompanying force then arrested them.

SI Khorshed told Views Bangladesh, “I had an idea that the accused could escape by crossing the Karatoya River. Accordingly, surveillance was increased alongside the river bank areas. At one point, we saw them and immediately suspected them as the clothes they had been wearing were wet.”

Bogura District Jail
Bogura District Jail is located in a very old building built in 1833. Small trees have grown in many places on the roof and walls of that building. The condition of the boundary walls surrounding the building is dilapidated at many points. That is why the prisoners planned to escape by making a hole in the roof of the building.

Is the escape of the convicts a result of the negligence of the prison authorities? Or some of the jail authorities were also involved in the desperate attempt, helping the accused to escape? Answers to these questions are yet to be known.

Contacted, Additional Inspector General of Prisons Sheikh Sujaur Rahman told Views Bangladesh, “An investigation will be conducted into the incident of the escape of the prisoners to find out if there was any negligence of duty. At the same time, the security system of the prison will be strengthened.”