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A fugitive aide of notorious Khulna criminal Ershad Shikder, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case, has been arrested after 27 years, the Special Response Battalion (SRB) said.
Zainal Sardar, 55, was arrested in the Sonadanga area of Khulna city on Saturday night (September 26), SRB-8 Assistant Superintendent of Police and Media Officer Walid Hasan Mithu confirmed on Sunday.
Zainal is the son of the late Ahammad Ali Sardar of Bongkura village in Gournadi upazila of Barishal.
According to law enforcement sources, a murder case was filed against him at Rupsha Police Station in Khulna district in 1999. After trial, a court found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced him to life imprisonment, along with a Tk 10,000 fine. In default, he was to serve an additional year in prison.
He was also sentenced to five years in prison and fined Tk 5,000 for concealing the body. In default of payment, he was to serve another six months in prison. As he remained absconding for years, the court issued an arrest warrant against him.
SRB-8 said Zainal had remained in hiding for a long time after being sentenced, evading law enforcement. At one point, he changed his identity and stayed in India and Kuwait.
Based on recent intelligence, authorities learned that he had returned to Bangladesh. Using information technology, the joint team confirmed his location and conducted an operation in the Sonadanga area on Saturday night.
Zainal was later handed over to Sonadanga Model Police Station in Khulna for further legal action.
ASP Walid Hasan Mithu said a joint operational team from SRB-8 and SRB-6 arrested Zainal based on intelligence information. He described him as a wanted fugitive sentenced to life imprisonment in a sensational murder case.