Actor Ashraful Haque alias Don sent to jail in Salman Shah murder case

A Dhaka court on Sunday ordered actor Ashraful Haque, widely known as Don, to be sent to jail in connection with the long-standing murder case of popular film actor Chowdhury Mohammad Shahriar Emon, professionally known as Salman Shah.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Jewel Rana issued the detention order following a hearing prompted by a request from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Don, 54, was apprehended by immigration authorities at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport earlier in the day while allegedly attempting to flee the country.

Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruki stated that Don is the fourth accused in the high-profile case. During the court proceedings, Faruki alleged that Don had been evading justice for decades. He further detailed that the victim’s family had previously alleged that the actor’s former wife, Samira Haque, along with several associates including Don, conspired to kill the star.

The prosecution’s narrative presented in court suggested that the suspects were allegedly hired for 12 lakh taka to orchestrate the murder. According to the state’s legal team, the perpetrators reportedly drugged Salman Shah before staging his death as a suicide by hanging to conceal the crime. The prosecution argued that Don’s release would jeopardize the ongoing investigation, citing a high risk that the suspect would flee the country again.

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No defense lawyer appeared for the accused during the hearing. The CID, which is currently handling the investigation, confirmed that a travel ban had been imposed on the suspects involved in the case.

Salman Shah died on September 6, 1996. While the incident was initially treated as a suicide, the death sparked intense public speculation and controversy lasting nearly three decades. Last October, following a court directive, a formal murder case was filed at Ramna Police Station by Alamgir Kumkum, the brother of the actor’s late mother, Nila Chowdhury.

The case names 11 suspects, including Salman Shah’s former wife Samira Haque, her mother Latifa Haque, businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai, and several others. The CID is expected to submit a formal investigation report by August 30.