Ershad Sikder’s associate arrested after 27 years in hiding

An alleged associate of notorious criminal Ershad Sikder and a fugitive convict sentenced to life imprisonment in a sensational murder case, Zainal Sardar, 55, has been arrested after 27 years in hiding.

A joint team of SRB-6 and SRB-8 arrested Zainal from the Sonadanga area of Khulna city at around 10:50pm yesterday (26 September), based on intelligence and information gathered through technology, according to an SRB press release issued today (27 September).

Zainal is the son of late Ahammad Ali Sardar of Bongkura village under Gouranadi Police Station in Barishal district.

According to the SRB, Zainal was convicted in a murder case filed with Rupsha Police Station in Khulna in 1999. Eight people, including Ershad Sikder and Zainal, were accused in the case.

After the trial, a court sentenced Zainal to life imprisonment and fined him Tk10,000, with an additional one year in jail in default. The court also sentenced him to five years’ rigorous imprisonment and fined him Tk5,000 for concealing the body after the murder, with an additional six months in jail in default.

Following the verdict, Zainal went into hiding and allegedly