Shimul Bhuiyan, a listed extremist from the Khulna region, played a major role in the assassination of Jhenaidah-4 MP Anwarul Azim Anar.
After being arrested in Dhaka for his involvement in the murder, Shimul identified himself to the police as Sayed Amanulla. Under this alias, he lived in the Luterchar area of Shyamalapur, Savar for nearly four years.
He rented the third floor of a five-storey residential building owned by one Md Nazim Uddin.
Sources confirmed that his real name is Shimul Bhuiyan. He obtained a passport under the name Amanulla and travelled to Kolkata, where he played a role in the brutal murder of the ruling party lawmaker.
At his rented residence in Savar, it was discovered that he paid a monthly rent of Tk15,000 and had submitted a photocopy of his passport under the name Amanulla to secure the rental.
What the neighbours say
Residents and those associated with the building, including the owner, security guards, and neighbours, described Bhuiyan as living a normal life.
They expressed shock upon learning his true identity and his involvement in the MP’s murder. Shimul, who identified himself as Amanulla, was reclusive, spoke little, and rarely interacted with others, including the building owner, they say.
While visiting Shimul’s residence, Sobhan Mia, the building's caretaker, confirmed his alias when shown a picture of him. He described Shimul as someone who seldom left his flat and spoke very little.
A nearby grocery store owner, Siraj, mentioned seeing Shimul in front of the building but noted that he did not socialize much.
Md Nazim Uddin, the building owner, said: “I asked for his National Identity Card (NID) and photograph when Shimul Bhuiyan came to rent the flat. He told me that he did not have any NIDs. Instead, he gave me a photocopy of his passport, claiming to be a businessman involved in a rent-a-car and motorcycle showroom partnership.”
Nazim said Shimul used to stay in his apartment. When he went out, he used to mingle with the children in the neighbourhood.
The building owner said Shimul’s wife, daughter, and maid occasionally stayed with him, and he was consistent in paying rent by the fifth of each month.
Nazim Uddin said: "On one night in May, several law enforcers in plainclothes came to my house. My son talked to them, confirmed their identity, and allowed them to enter the house. Of them, five people went directly to that flat. Shimul was arrested from there.”
Who is Shimul alias Amanulla?
Shimul Bhuiyan alias Amanulla Sayed’s full name is Mahmud Hasan Shimul. He was known by this name from the 1990s until 2006. After that, while in prison, he made himself known as Shimul Bhuiyan.
Amanulla is his pseudonym. He hails from Damodar Union of Phultala Upazila in Khulna and holds the post of regional secretary of the extremist group, Purbo Banglar Communist Party.
Police say he is the mastermind behind the killing of various political figures in the Khulna region.
Even though the Purbo Bangla Communist Party is currently inactive, Shimul continued to act on behalf of the party in disguise. He has organized the ideologues for years. He is also known to have worked with many hitmen.
There have been incidents of the murders of several politicians and businessmen at the behest of Bhuiyan in the Khulna region. He carried out these murders through his followers, although he was in hiding.
Shimul was also arrested in 1991 for murdering a man named Abhaynagar Ganesh from Jessore, and he served seven years in jail.
In June 2000, Shimul was arrested in the Iman Ali murder case and released from jail after around 12 years.
Since then, he has been out of the region, according to sources. There are at least two dozen cases filed against Shimul, including murder, in local police stations.
