Shumon Mia details Isse’s murder at court

Bangladesh citizen Shumon Mia, who worked at the ice plant at H. A. Ihavandhoo, has provided a detailed account of how he killed co-woker Ismail Umar (Isse) to the court.

During this Monday’s hearing at Criminal Court, Judge Ali Adam asked suspect Shumon Mia if he wanted to stick by the murder confession he made during the preliminary hearings and plead guilty.

Shumon Mia replied that he confessed to Isse’s murder, adding that he murdered Isse out of his own free will.

Isse was found murdered inside the ice plant where he and Shumon Mia worked at on June 16, 2017.

ISSE’S MURDER WAS PRE-PLANNED; ANGER OVER INCESSANT BADGERING

Shumon Mia said he initially worked at Felivaru, but was transferred to Ihavandhoo. He said he went to Ihavandhoo against his well, after being told he did not have a choice if he wished to remain employed.

There were four workers at the Ihavandhoo ice plant; Shumon Mia, Isse, and two more Maldivian men. Both Shumon Mia and Isse had shared one room at the accommodation block at the ice plant.

Shumon Mia said his resentment for Isse grew when he stared refusing to pay for overtime and badgered him when he was on the phone with his wife.

“I was on the phone with my wife one day when she said not to call her again. I think she heard him [Isse} yelling at me. So my wife told me not to call her. That she was returning to her parents,” said Shumon Mia.

He said his wife was unresponsive to his phone calls after that day. And that he decided to kill Isse due to anger over the incident.

KNIFE, ROPE USED TO KILL ISSE

Shumon Mia said he ran away and stared living at an abandoned building near the ice plant, two days before the murder. The abandoned building was previously used to sell fuel.

Shumon said he took a 12-foot long rope with him when he entered the room they shared as Isse slept. He said initially planned to strangle Isse using the rope, when then questioned himself whether the rope alone could do the job. He then took out a knife out of a cabinet at the room and approached Isse.

“Isse was on the lower bunk. I kept the knife on the upper bunk and wrapped the rope around his neck. I tightened it and Isse woke up and hit me. I punched his chest a couple of times. I then remembered the knife and first stabbed his hand,” said Shumon.

He said Isse had grabbed the knife from him. He said he injured his own hand when he attempted to retake the knife from Isse. He said he wrestled the knife from Isse and stabbed his neck.

“I stabbed him in the neck twice. But he still wouldn’t die,” said Shumon.

Shumon said he then dragged Isse to the ground and stabbed him in the neck again. He said he kept both the knife and rope near Isse, locked all the doors, and left the building.

FLEEING TO KULHUDHUFFUSHI

Shumon said that after he murdered Isse, he went to a house inhabited by a group of Bangladesh citizens and requested transportation out of the island. He said he even called a captain of a speedboat. It was before sunrise, said Shumon.

Shumon said he entered the ice plant for a second time – through the window of a bathroom. He said he dragged Isse out of the accommodation block and cleaned the bloodstains with water.

Shumon said he dropped the knife into a tank at the ice plant, and initially planned to drop Isse’s body into the tank as well. He said he couldn’t do it alone and left the body there.

He then left for Kulhudhuffushi on a speedboat in the morning. He said he had his phone, Isse’s phone, MVR 4,000 in his wallet and approximately MVR 15,000 in Isse’s wallet with him when he went to Kulhudhuffushi.

He said that while at Kulhudhuffushi, a Maldivian called his mobile phone and asked “Are you Shumon Mia? Tell me where you are?” to which he lied and replied “I’m not Shumon Mia. I’m at Dhidhdhoo”. He then took out the SIM card and disposed of it.

Shumon Mia had a seat at a boat departing from Kulhudhuffushi that night when the police arrested him, just before Magrib prayer.

Concluding Monday’s hearing, Judge Ali Adam said the next hearing will be held on January 8 at 10 am, during which the court will hear testimony from State witnesses. Shumon Mia has not submitted the names of any witnesses to speak on his behalf.