Salman Shah murder case: CID says accused Don withheld key information
Actor Ashraful Haque Don sent to jail after five-day remand.
A Dhaka court today (9 September) sent actor Ashraful Haque Don to jail after he completed a five-day remand in the murder case of popular actor Salman Shah, with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) alleging that he withheld key information during questioning.
CID Inspector Md Mojibur Rahman, the investigation officer in the case, produced Don before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court and sought an order to keep him in custody.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana granted the petition and ordered that Don be sent to jail, said Shah Alam, sub-inspector of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police prosecution department.
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According to the CID petition, Don was a close friend of Salman Shah, whose real name was Mohammad Shahriar Emon. The two acted together in several films between 1992 and Salman Shah's death in 1996.
The CID said Don knew several of the accused who remain at large but allegedly withheld important details about them during questioning.
Investigators said his close relationship with Salman Shah meant he could have knowledge relevant to the circumstances surrounding the actor's death, but alleged that he was evasive when questioned.
The CID also said some unverified information concerning Don's movements before, during and after the incident required further investigation.
Citing the high level of public interest in the case, investigators said Don could be questioned further with permission from the court and should remain in custody until the investigation is completed.
Earlier, immigration police arrested Don at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 9 August and later handed him over to the CID.
The investigation officer initially sought a seven-day remand. After a hearing on 27 August, the court granted five days' remand.
After his remand ended today, Don was taken to the detention centre of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court but was not produced in the courtroom. No lawyer appeared on his behalf.
Salman Shah died at his residence in Dhaka's Eskaton on 6 September 1996. His death was initially treated as a suicide, but a murder case was filed later.
On 20 October 2025, Mohammad Alamgir Kinkum, maternal uncle of Salman Shah, filed the murder case with Ramna Police Station on behalf of Salman's mother, Neela Chowdhury.
The case names 11 accused, including Salman Shah's wife Samira Haque.
The other accused are Samira's mother Latifa Haque Lucy, businessman Aziz Mohammad Bhai, actor Don, David, Javed, Faruk, Ruby, Abdul Sattar, Saju and Rezvi Ahmed alias Farhad.
