Summary:
- Over 1,911 case documents were stolen from Chattogram Metropolitan Court’s Public Prosecutor’s office corridor and sold to a scrap shop for just 16 taka per kilogram.
- A tea vendor operating on court premises was identified and arrested after police analyzed CCTV footage over two days, leading to the recovery of nine sacks of documents.
- The theft occurred during the court’s vacation period between December 13-31, 2024, with documents containing records from 28-30 courts that were stored in plastic bags since April 2023.
- The stolen documents included critical files related to serious crimes like murder, narcotics, smuggling, and explosives cases, potentially impacting ongoing legal proceedings.
Nine sacks of crucial case documents stolen from the Chattogram Metropolitan Court have been recovered from a scrap shop in Patharghata area during an early morning police raid on Thursday[1]. The documents, which belonged to 1,911 cases, were sold to the scrap dealer for just 16 taka per kilogram[9][12].
A tea vendor who operated on the court premises has been arrested in connection with the theft[1]. The suspect was identified after police analyzed CCTV footage from the court premises over the past two days[1].
The disappearance of these vital documents was first discovered on January 6 when Public Prosecutor Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan filed a general diary at the Kotwali Police Station[4]. The documents, which contained records from 28 to 30 courts, had been stored in plastic bags along the veranda outside the Public Prosecutor’s office since April 2023 due to space constraints[4].
The theft occurred during the court’s vacation period between December 13 and December 31, 2024[4]. Legal experts have expressed serious concerns about the incident’s impact on the justice system. “This is no trivial matter. Those responsible for removing these files must be identified. It’s possible that defendants may have planned this to gain undue advantage in their cases,” stated PP Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan[4].
District Bar Association President Mohammad Nazim Uddin Chowdhury emphasized that these documents are crucial for proving guilt in court, and their absence could severely impede justice or even lead to case dismissals[4]. The stolen documents included files related to various serious crimes including murder, narcotics, smuggling, and explosives cases[7].
The investigation is ongoing under the direction of Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Karim[1]. The recovery of these documents marks a significant breakthrough in maintaining the integrity of Chattogram’s judicial system.
Source: The Daily Star
