5 staff tell court that owner shot co-worker dead

Five Ghoroa Restaurant employees gave judicial statements yesterday on witnessing the owner, Ariful Islam Sohel, brutally torturing 16-year-old Md Riad in the Motijheel restaurant and in their Swamibagh mess and then shooting him dead.

Meanwhile, another staff, Jasim Uddin, was taken on a seven-day police remand.

He and another employee Farid, who took Riad to Dhaka Medical College Hospital early Wednesday, had claimed that muggers shot Riad in Motijheel while trying to snatch Tk 2.5 lakh they were taking to their employer's Shantinagar residence after closing the restaurant.

Metropolitan Magistrate Mollah Saiful Alam recorded the statements of Sagar, Shafique, Raju, Shafiqul and Md Jasim, police and court sources said. 

Police are yet to arrest Sohel and Farid and the victim's family alleged that it would have come sooner if police had been prompt. A milad-mahfil was held at the victim's Chandpur village residence yesterday.

Sohel carried out the torture for hours on Tuesday accusing Riad of "stealing a mobile phone and Tk 1,500". He shot the boy dead early Wednesday, police said.

There is circumstantial evidence that Sohel himself shot the boy dead, Syed Nurul Islam, deputy commissioner (Wari division), Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told The Daily Star.

"We got several witnesses of the shooting…CCTV cameras also filmed a blood-smeared Riad being taken away from the mess on the owner's car," he said, adding that blood was found at the crime scene.

He said they were yet to confirm whether the firearm used was licensed.