After spending four months behind bars for a crime he didn't commit, a daily wager has been released from the Jessore Central Jail.

A court in Jessore on Thursday ordered Mintu Mollah's release after the matter was brought to its notice.

Police had arrested Mintu in place of Ashraf Ali in a loan default case and he was later sent to judicial custody, according to Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) Jessore Co-ordinator advocate Mostafa Humayun Kabir.

Confusion arose as the father’s name of these persons -- Mintu and Ashraf -- are similar, he said.

While Mintu is the son of late Mohar Ali Mollah of Benapole's Dighirpar area, Ashraf's late father's name is Mohar Ali of Dighirpar area.

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Mintu had earlier informed the jail authorities about the same, but no one paid any heed to it. Last Saturday, two Deputy Secretaries of the Ministry of Law visited Jessore Central Jail and Mintu complained to them as well.

Subsequently a probe was ordered. The investigation by BLAST and Legal Aid found that the case was that of a mistaken identity. Finally, Mintu was released on Thursday.

SI Masum of Benapole Port Police Station picked up Mintu from his house around 10 pm on 16 November 2020. At the time of his arrest, he was shown the arrest warrant issued in the name of Ashraf Ali.

Next morning, the family members went to the police station with a copy of his birth registration certificate but police didn't release him, and he was sent to central jail.

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