Former Japa MP Abhi acquitted in model Tinni murder case

The court acquitted Ghulam Farooq Abhi, the sole accused in the chargesheet in the murder case of model Syeda Tania Mahbub Tinni, who was murdered almost 23 years ago.

On Tuesday (January 14), Dhaka’s 2nd Additional District and Sessions Judge was removed. Shahinur Akhtar announced this verdict. In the judgment, the court said that the accused was acquitted as the state side failed to prove the charges against the accused.

Dissatisfaction with the verdict, the lawyer of the state Syed Md. Abu Zafar Rizvi said that a decision will be taken on the appeal after seeing the full verdict.

Abhi, who was acquitted in the verdict, has been absconding since the beginning of the case. State-appointed lawyer Shah Ilyas Ratan expressed satisfaction on his behalf.

The case was for judgment on 15 November 2021. On that day Tinni’s father Syed Mahbubul Karim and uncle Syed Rezaul Karim appeared in the court to testify. The court adjourned the case from judgment and fixed it for evidence.

On the night of November 10, 2002, model Tinni’s body was found next to pillar No. 11 of China Friendship Bridge No. 1 on Buriganga River in Keraniganj. In this incident, the then assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Keraniganj police station filed a case against the unknown accused. Safi Uddin

The first investigation officer of the case was the then Deputy Inspector (SI) of that police station. Qayyum Ali Sardar. Then when the photo of Tinni’s body was printed in the newspaper, a relative of the victim named Sujan identified the body.

On November 24, 2002, the investigation of the case was handed over to the CID. The then CID inspector Fazlur Rahman was given the responsibility of the investigation.

After that, CID Inspector Sujaul Haque, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Golam Mostafa, ASP Arman Ali, ASP Kamal Krishna Bharadwaj and ASP Mozammel Haque were assigned the responsibility of investigating the case at various times. The last investigating officer, Mozammel Haque, filed a charge sheet in the court on November 8, 2008, making former student leader and Member of Parliament Ghulam Farooq Abhi the sole accused.

(Dhaka Times/January 14/RZ/DM)