Actor Sohel murder: RAB nabs fugitive accused after 24yrs 

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Tuesday night arrested an accused in the sensational murder case of actor Sohel Chowdhury from the capital's Gulshan area.

Accused Ashish Roy Chowdhury alias Bottle Chowdhury had been absconding for 24 long years.

He was arrested from a house near Gulshan's Pink City at around 11pm, Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of the legal and media wing of RAB, briefed the media following the arrest.

Moin said, "Ashish left his Mirpur DOHS house and rented a flat in Gulshan after a new arrest warrant was issued on 26 March this year. He had been hiding in this house since 30 March.

"RAB had been surrounding this location since the evening. We were able to seize 23 bottles of liquor, several cans of beer, and shisha equipment from the house."

On 19 December, 1998, actor Sohel Chowdhury was shot dead outside the now-defunct Tramps Club, housed in Abedin Tower in Banani's Road 17.

A murder case was filed in this regard at Gulshan police station followed by a complaint lodged by Sohel's brother Towhidul Islam Chowdhury.

On 30 July, 1999, Abul Kashem Bepari, additional police commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB) submitted a charge sheet against nine people in this case.

On 30 October, 2001, Dhaka's third additional metropolitan session judge court framed charges against the nine accused. After two years of indictment, the case was transferred to Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-2.

The same year, one of the accused appealed to the High Court (HC).

Since 2003, the trial in the case remained suspended for 19 years.

Of the nine accused in the case, two including Ashish had remained absconding.