Court defers Salman Shah murder case probe report to Aug 30

A Dhaka court on Thursday deferred the submission of the investigation report in the murder case over the death of celebrated film actor Salman Shah after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) failed to file it on the scheduled date.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana set August 30 as the new date for submission after CID Inspector Ziaul Morshed, the investigating officer, sought more time.

The case names 11 accused, including Salman Shah’s wife Samira Haque, her mother Latifa Haque Leo (Lucy) and actor Ashraful Haque Don, on charges of planned murder under Sections 302/34 of the Penal Code.

As part of the reinvestigation, the court earlier permitted the exhumation of Salman Shah’s remains for a fresh autopsy to determine the actual cause of his death. The exhumation process is to be supervised by Sylhet Additional District Magistrate Pinky Saha.

Salman Shah died on September 6, 1996, in a case initially recorded as an unnatural death. The CID concluded in 1997 that it was a suicide, but the actor’s family challenged the findings. Following a prolonged legal battle, a Dhaka court ordered the case to be treated as a murder case, leading to a fresh investigation by the CID.