Death row convict recaptured after escaping Kashimpur prison during political unrest
Death row convict recaptured after escaping Kashimpur prison during political unrest
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has apprehended Abdullah Shikdar, a death-row convict who escaped from Kashimpur High Security Central Jail during the unrest following the collapse of the Awami League government in August. The 24-year-old fugitive was captured on Friday afternoon during an operation in the Darus Salam area of Dhaka.
Details regarding the arrest were disclosed during a press briefing held at the RAB-4 office in Mirpur on Saturday. According to officials, Shikdar had been held at the Kashimpur facility since December 2023. He managed to flee the prison on August 6, 2024, amid the widespread violence and instability that erupted the day after the government’s fall. Prison authorities subsequently filed a case at the Konabari Police Station in Gazipur concerning the mass prison break.
RAB-4 Additional Superintendent of Police K.N. Roy Niyati stated that Shikdar had been living in hiding across several regions of the country, frequently changing his appearance to evade law enforcement. His location was eventually confirmed through a combination of intelligence gathering and technical surveillance, leading to his arrest in the capital.
Shikdar’s original conviction stems from the brutal murder of his neighbor, Lutfar Rahman, in October 2021. The motive for the killing, which took place in Tungipara, Gopalganj, was rooted in a dispute over interest payments on a loan. During the attack, Shikdar and his accomplices used hammers and axes to inflict fatal injuries on the victim. A local court later sentenced Shikdar and two other defendants to death for the crime.
Following his arrest, Shikdar was transferred to the Konabari Police Station to face further legal proceedings related to his escape and his initial murder conviction.
