Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Tuesday night arrested an accused in the sensational murder case of actor Sohel Chowdhury from the city's Gulshan area.

Accused Ashish Roy Chowdhury aka Bottle Chowdhury had been absconding for years, law enforcers said.

He was arrested from a house near Gulshan's Pink City around 11 pm, said RAB Headquarters assistant director media ASP Imran Khan.

RAB had been surrounding since the evening, he added.

On December 19, 1998, actor Sohel Chowdhury was shot dead outside the now defunct Tramps Club, housed in Abedin Tower in Banani's Road 17.

A murder case was filed in this regard at Gulshan police station followed by a complaint lodged by Sohel's brother Towhidul Islam Chowdhury.

On July 30, 1999, Abul Kashem Bepari, additional police commissioner of Detective Branch submitted a charge sheet against nine people in this case.

On October 30, 2001, Dhaka's third additional metropolitan session judge court framed charges against the nine accused. After two years of indictment, the case was transferred to Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-2.

The same year, one of the accused appealed to the High Court.

Since 2003, the trial in the case remained suspended for 19 years.

Of the nine accused in the case, two including Ashish had remained absconding.