Recovery of 10 bodies in trawler: Municipal councillor gives confessional statement

Khair Hossain, a ward councillor of Maheshkhali Municipality, has given a confessional statement in the case filed over the recovery of 10 bodies from a fishing trawler off Nazirertek Beach in Cox's Bazar.

After a three-day remand, he gave his statement under Section-164 when he was produced before the Senior Judicial Magistrate of Cox's Bazar Srigyan Tanchangya at 3:30 pm on Tuesday.

Police arrested Khair Hossain on Friday. Later on Saturday, the judge granted a three-day remand to grill him after a five-day remand plea, said Durjoy Biswas, Inspector of Sadar Police Station and also the investigating officer of the case.

In response to the question about his statement, Khair Hossian said, "I do not know what was said in the statement under Section-164. The court knows that well."

However, Inspector Durjoy Biswas said, "The court ordered me to be cautious as the investigating officer in this case."

He said the court noticed the news published in the national media disclosing the confessional statement regarding the case.

"Hence, the court orders me to take utmost care of confidential documents like statements under Section 164 before the arrest of the accused and the disclosure of their names and addresses."

Accused Gias Uddin Munir gave a confessional statement under Section 164 in court on 4 May revealing that all ten people who died in the sea were pirates rather than fishermen.

Earlier, Fazal Kader Majhi and Abu Tayeb Majhi, residents of Banshkhali, and Baitta Kamal of Matarbari, gave confessional statements under Section 164 in court.

Ten partially decomposed bodies were found inside the locked cold storage of a sinking fishing trawler off the coast of Cox's Bazar on 23 April.

The bodies of six people were handed over to their relatives, while four others remained in the morgue. DNA tests will confirm the identities of these four people.