Dhaka killings unnerve British Bangladeshis

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Restaurant owner Surat Miah enjoyed the fruits of his success. At 35 he had his own takeaway business and had made good money on a property sale. He flew from England to Bangladesh with £4,000 in his pocket and was determined not to share it with corrupt airport customs officials demanding bribes. It was his last mistake.

The next time his family saw him he was on a slab in a Dhaka mortuary. According to a coroner's report, he had been beaten to death. His head, stomach and genitals were lacerated; his passport, luggage and cash were missing.

For the past six years the story told by officials in Bangladesh was that Mr Miah, from Sunderland, was found dead in the street. Although four customs officers were charged with murder, they were acquitted due to "lack of evidence or witnesses".

But now the truth is out. Photographs show Mr Miah's body lying spread-eagled in the arrivals hall at Zia airport, the floor covered with his blood. At least 12 police and airport officials are seen trying to administer first aid.

The Bangladeshi government successfully challenged the acquittal last week, and now the men face a retrial. The government says it has a strong case.

Mr Miah's violent death has become the touchstone for the 300,000-strong British Bangladeshi community's protests against corruption. Expatriates say Dhaka customs officers and police augment their £80-a-month salaries by extorting cash from wealthy expatriates.

Dilu Naser, a Bangladeshi journalist based in Britain, said: "People are scared to go to Bangladesh. Airport staff say: 'Give me money so I can confirm your forward ticket'. They usually ask for 4,000 or 5,000 taka [£40 or £50]."

Mr Miah's daughter Shuwli Begum said yesterday: "It's disgusting that the case has taken so long. My grandmother died recently, but I could not go home for the funeral. It would mean going through customs where these people work."

Mr Miah had been looking forward to seeing his wife and five children who were holidaying in Sylhet, from where most British Bangladeshis originate.

His death is not an isolated case. In June last year, Mogul Qu'reshi, 22, from East London, visited Sylhet for the first time. He was staying in a hotel in Dhaka awaiting a flight to Heathrow. But he didn't make the connection. Days later his body was found by a roadside 10 miles away. His brother, Maman, said his passport and luggage were missing and he had just "a few taka" in his pocket.

A post-mortem examination in England concluded he died of head injuries. Tyre marks were found on his body but the coroner could not say for certain it was a road accident.

Labour MP Oona King, whose Bethnal Green and Bow constituency is home to a large Bangladeshi community, has raised Mr Miah's case in the Commons. "There is a problem with corruption," she said, "and that is why Surat Miah died. The Bangladesh government must take responsibility."

AF Hassan Ariff, the attorney-general of Bangladesh, told The Independent on Sunday that a new department had been set up to deal with public-sector corruption.

Asked why it had taken six years to take Mr Miah's murder seriously, he said: "The investigation into [his] death was riddled with procedural snags. Corruption and indifference have hindered investigations but that is changing."