Freedom was less than two months away for Shah Alam, a prisoner of Dhaka Central Jail, but then death befell him yesterday.
The 35-year-old was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) by prison guards in the morning with his face swollen, said hospital and family sources.
Doctors declared him dead but could not immediately identify the reasons behind the death.
Alam, who had received treatment at DMCH on December 28 for chest pains, yesterday collapsed on the ground in his cell, his face hitting the floor, Senior Jail Super Farman Ali said.
He was to be released on February 20 after his serving a 12-year jail term, that is equivalent to nine years as per the jail code, said his sister Rozina Begum.
Alam, arrested in 2005 under the firearms act, had a fiancee with whom he had promised to start life afresh.
The families of both sides had agreed to get them married soon, Rozina said.
“He was quite well even yesterday [Tuesday] when my mother, his fiancée and I met him [inside the jail].”
Rozina added she suspected that her brother’s sudden death was not natural.
The autopsy of the body will be conducted today.
-With The Daily Star input
