BANGLADESH

Investigators arrived on the crime scene 12 hours after the incident taking place and two hours after getting to know that the man killed had been identified as a Saudi Arabian embassy official.

Khalaf Al Ali, an official with the consular section of the embassy, died about four hours after he was shot by unidentified criminals around 1:00am Tuesday.

But the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths had not descended on the scene of crime until 1:00pm. In other words, they collected evidence like foot print after passage of such a long time, so very crucial in the investigation of a crime like murder.

Assistant police superintendent of CID Sabdar Ali, however, refused to accept the allegation, though he did accept that many evidences might have been destroyed or lost during those precious hours.

"CID had been informed at the right time. Traffic congestion might have delayed their arrival," said additional deputy commissioner of Gulshan zone Niyamul Haque.

He, however, claimed that police kept the crime scene enclosed until the CID sleuths reached there.

Incidentally, this is not an isolated incident of investigators showing lethargy in evidence collection once a crime has taken place. It was no different even after the killing of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, senior officials had then confirmed.

According to eye witnesses, Khalaf Al Ali was shot in the chest in front of his house at Gulshan's Road No. 120, Plot 9/A. Police took him to a private hospital where he died around 5:00am.

Police took a snap of the diseased and it only around 11:00am that they could establish the identity of the deceased.

Although several teams from police, Detective Branch, CID and RAB have been pressed to investigate into the killing, all seem clueless like any other layman.