JP leader Sheth sent to jail

The court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge AKM Anwar Hossain also sent Farajul Islam, a personal staff of Sheth, to jail while it granted bail to 17 accused and rescinded bail of another two, sources said.

They said Seth turned up at the court at around 10:00am to surrender in the murder case of Mohammad Alamgir that took place at city's Mohammad Nagar area under Bayezid Bostami Police Station on January 25, 2004. He was a charge sheeted accused in the case along with 22 others including two Ansar members, Mozammel Haq and Altaf Hossain.

Centring a land dispute on that day, the armed criminal gang of Sheth attacked the inhabitants of Mohammad Nagar and shot Alamgir dead and injured few others. A case was later filed with the Bayezid PS but the proceedings were halted allegedly under influence of power by Sheth, who was on bail until recently.

After the caretaker government was sworn in, the police started afresh the proceedings and on February 16 this year they submitted the charge sheet before the court accusing 23 people.

Sheth, who emerged as a political character recently, is widely known in the port city as a notorious 'Land Grabber' besides having a track record in other criminal activities. He also maintained a criminal gang to help materialise his ill-plans.

They alleged he had encroached over the year hundreds of acres of both khas and public land worth over several crores of taka, at many city areas in Bayezid Bostami PS and few other places.

Sheth was an accused in many criminal cases, including murder, hill cutting and land grabbing.

There are allegations that Sheth by using his influence and cadre gang also captured enemy or feuding properties owned by Hindu religious community in different parts of the city.

After publication of the news of Alamgir murder in January 2004, Sheth along with some cadres came to the Chittagong bureau office of Bhorer Kagoj, hurled abusive words and threatened the young reporter, who covered the story.