The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has arrested all seven individuals involved in the killing mission of Jhenaidah-4 MP Anwarul Azim Anar.
However, it is yet to determine who financially and politically benefited from Anar's murder and the exact motive behind the killing, leaving the primary mystery of this case unresolved, said Additional Commissioner (DB) Harunor Rashid.
The DB chief said that investigations are ongoing to uncover who financially and politically benefited from Anar's murder. All possible causes are being considered to identify the motive behind the killing.
Additional Commissioner (DB) Harunor Rashid shared this information during a press conference at the DMP media center on Thursday
He said: "As soon as we received news of the murder of MP Anwarul Azim Anar, we arrested mastermind Shimul Bhuiyan. Subsequently, we arrested Tanvir and Silisti Rahman. They have given statements under Section 164 in court.”
“We then visited Sanjiva Garden in Kolkata. We learned about two more individuals involved in the murder—Foisall Bhuiyan and Mostafizur Rahman. They were hiding in the Patal Kali Temple between Fatikchhari and Sitakunda, wearing red dhotis to disguise themselves as Hindus," he added.
The DB chief said: "To arrest these two, we had a team in Jhenaidah, another team in Sundarbans, and other teams working for several days in Khagrachari, Bandarban, Fatikchhari, and Sitakunda. Finally, on Wednesday, we arrested these two individuals."
The DB chief reported that on the morning of May 13, MP Anar left his friend Gopal's house. Foisal was waiting in front of Kolkata Public School to receive him and took him to a red car where Shimul Bhuiyan was waiting. Meanwhile, Mostafiz and Jihad Howlader were waiting at a rented house in Sanjiva Garden.
When Foisal and Shimul Bhuiyan took Anar to the flat, they were received by Silisti Rahman and Mostafizur Rahman. They then went to a corner room downstairs.
When Anar realized the movement of three to four people, he pleaded for his life and tried to escape.
Foisal then held chloroform to Anar’s nose and mouth, rendering him unconscious. Subsequently, he was killed.
Seven individuals participated in the killing mission of MP Anar, and all have been arrested, said the DB chief.
Among them, Shimul Bhuiyan, Foisal, Mostafizur, Jihad Howlader (arrested by Indian police), and Siam (who was hiding in Nepal based on our information) have been apprehended. Additionally, Tanvir and Silisti were arrested.
Besides these, two others, Awami League leader Mintu and Gas Babu, are also in our custody. Of the five people arrested by Dhaka DB, four have given statements under Section 164. Foisal and Mostafiz, arrested on Wednesday, will be sent to court with a 10-day remand sought for them.
Regarding Akhtaruzzaman Shaheen, Harun said: "Shaheen is the mastermind of the murder. He is not out of the investigation. All seven directly involved in the killing mission have been arrested.”
“Shaheen returned to the country from Kolkata on May 10. After the murder, everyone involved, except Jihad, returned to the country; some went to Nepal. After Shimul Bhuiyan's arrest, Shaheen initially went to Delhi, then to Nepal, Dubai, and finally the USA. He is a US citizen," he added.
MP Anar murder: 2 suspects arrested from Khagracchari
2 remanded in MP Anar murder caseWhen asked if the last two arrested had provided any information about the equipment used in the murder, Harun said: "The killers bought a chair for Tk17,000 from a market in Kolkata and brought chloroform. Foisal bound Anar to this chair and stripped him naked. Foisal did this while Siam provided the weapon used in the murder."
"Foisal and Mostafiz were truck drivers. They were given Tk30,000 each. They turned off their phones and went to remote areas of Khagrachari. There is an underground Kali temple there where they changed their names to Palash Roy and Shimul Roy, disguised as Hindus, and stayed in the temple," he added.
When asked about the motive behind the murder, the DB chief said: " Anwarul Azim Anar was a popular MP from Jhenaidah-4. Shaheen took him to Kolkata on the pretext of financial transactions. We hope to find out what they discussed, who benefited, and who gained financially and politically. There is definitely a motive behind Anar's murder, but we cannot specify it yet."
"We are investigating all possible reasons, including political and economic factors. We will take the latest arrestees into remand for questioning. All possible motives will be explored during questioning. We are not calling or harassing anyone unnecessarily," he added.
Anwarul Azim Anar, a lawmaker from the ruling Awami League, crossed the Darshana-Gede border into India for treatment on May 12. He stayed at his friend Gopal Biswas’s home in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal.
The following day, he left to see a doctor at around noon and was expected to return in the evening. However, a WhatsApp message from his phone to Biswas said that he had gone to Delhi instead and would call if necessary.
After that, he could not be reached by phone. Eventually, the Bangladesh government confirmed his death on May 22, citing Indian police.
