After one and a half years, charge sheet published in Shahadat murder case, 5 accused

PNN News Desk, Chattogram

In the sensational Shahadat Hossain murder case in Chattogram, police have submitted a charge sheet in court after one and a half years. A total of five people, including a minor, have been accused.

The accused are Farhad Ahmed Chowdhury, Anisur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, and Md. Mazed. A separate report has been submitted against a 16-year-old minor. Although the charge sheet was submitted to the court on 8 April, it was made public on Monday.

Investigation officer and Sub-Inspector (SI) of Panchlaish Police Station SM Safiuzzaman Munshi said that he prepared the final report based on earlier investigations and submitted it to the court.

Police and court sources said that Shahadat Hossain’s body was recovered from beside a drain in the Prothomtor Mor area of Panchlaish on 14 August 2024. He was a resident of Sonai Muri upazila of Noakhali. His father Md. Harun filed a murder case.

Investigations revealed that Shahadat was beaten to death after being detained on suspicion of theft by a group of youths. During the incident, the attackers acted strangely by singing and playing flute to mislead people. A video of the brutal incident was recorded and later spread on social media, creating widespread attention.

Police were able to identify the accused based on the viral video. Within four days of the video’s release, Farhad and Anisur along with three others were arrested. A detained minor confessed in court that 15 to 20 people were involved in beating Shahadat and he also participated.

Further investigation revealed involvement of Sohan and Asif-ul-Mezbah, but their exact identities were not confirmed, so they were not included in the charge sheet. However, police said supplementary charges may be filed if further information is found.

According to family sources, Shahadat left home for work at noon on 13 August 2024. He last spoke with his wife in the evening. After that, he did not return home. Later, his body was identified by relatives.

The investigating officer said evidence from video footage and witness statements confirmed that he was brutally beaten and killed on suspicion of theft.