The family of the man dubbed the “big brother” behind the murder of Cesare Tavella by investigators has disputed the police’s account of his arrest.
Police detectives claim they arrested MA Matin, younger brother of former BNP-backed ward commissioner MA Quayum, from Benapole port late on Wednesday night.
Matin’s wife Dilruba Akther claims her husband was whisked away by plainclothesmen in a white microbus from in front of their Badda residence on the evening of October 20.
“We contacted Badda police at 10:00pm on October 20, but they would not take our complaint. They said you have to wait 24 hours before filing a complaint. They refused again when we went there the next day,” Dilruba told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Police Deputy Commissioner Muntasirul Islam of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) rubbished claims that Matin was arrested on October 20. “Criminals go into hiding and do not communicate with their families in such cases. The family might have filed the GD during this interlude. We found Matin in Benapole yesterday.”
Muntasirul told the Dhaka Tribune that the Detective Branch (DB) conducted a drive at Benapole land port around 11:30pm and made the arrest. Matin was named in a confessional statement given by Minhajul Arefin Russell alias Bhagina Russell, one of four suspects in custody in connection with the murder, he added.
Matin, who police say commissioned the October 28 slaying of Tavella, has been placed on an eight-day police remand for interrogation.
Badda police took down a general diary regarding his disappearance on October 27, Matin’s wife Dilruba said, adding that she went to the DMP commissioner’s office on October 30 to submit a written application about it. “I also sent an application to the DB office by post.”
Detectives claim the search for Matin and his subsequent arrest came after two of the accused in the case named him the “big brother” in the murder, in their confessional statements to the court on November 1.
Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court yesterday sent Matin on remand after investigating officer of the case, DB Inspector Md Jehad Hossain, placed the suspect before the court seeking a 10-day remand.
During the hearing, Matin’s counsel SM Shawkat Hossain Miah submitted a petition seeking bail and the cancellation of the remand prayer, saying the detainee’s name was not mentioned in the First Information Report of the case.
“Matin was not arrested on Wednesday from Benapole. All of the statements regarding his arrest [on Wednesday night] are fake,” Shawkat said, adding that DB police arrested his client on October 20 and that his family filed a general diary with Badda police station on October 27.
With the arrest of Matin, the number of suspects in custody stands at five.
The four other suspects of the murder of Tavella in Dhaka’s Gulshan neighbourhood on September 28 were produced by law enforcers on October 25. They have been identified as Bhagina Rasel, Chakki Rasel, Shooter Rubel and Tamzid alias Sharif.
Four have given confessional statements in the court.
Md Rasel Chowdhury alias Chakki Rasel, gave his confessional statement before the magistrate confessing his involvement in the murder of Cesare Tavella yesterday. Metropolitan Magistrate Shariar Mahmud Adnan recorded the confessional statement and sent him to jail.
Only Matin is now under remand.
Bhagina Rasel’s confessional statement
Bhagina Rasel alias Kala Rasel confessed under Section 164 of the Penal Code to his involvement in the murder of Cesare Tavella on November 1.
According to a source, Bhagina Rasel in his statement told the court that the plans that led to Tavella’s murder took place in a house in the Uttar Badda area of the capital on September 22, where Matin was also present.
He said Matin asked him if he was interested in doing a big job. Bhagina Rasel said he replied in the affirmative. Matin told him he wanted to have a white-skinned foreigner murdered in Gulshan and asked Bhagina Rasel to contact Chakki Rasel to get the job done.
After consulting with Chakki Rasel, Bhagina Rasel made a final deal with Matin Bhai over mobile phone. Matin offered him Tk5 lakh to conduct the killing in Gulshan and advanced Tk3 lakh, but Tavella was not the target.
Bhagina Rasel said after getting the contract, he contacted Shooter Rubel, who owed him roughly TK50,000 for 500 yaba tablets. The two Rasels met Rubel on Eid-ul-Azha along with Rubel’s friend Bipu.
Bhagina Rasel said he asked Rubel to take part in the murder in exchange for writing off the drug money he owed. Rubel, he said, did not reply and left abruptly.
On September 27, next to Gulshan Commerce College, Bhagina Rasel and Rubel met again. This time, Bhagina Rasel said he proposed to Rubel that he would forgive his outstanding debt if Rubel agreed to fire blank shots in Gulshan to scare the posh neighbourhood’s residents.
Rubel agreed.
He got hold of a pistol from Bhangari Sohel, who rents out guns. On September 28, Bhangari Rasel, Chakki Rasel and Shooter Rubel borrowed a motorbike from Tamzid alias Sharif and began scoping out the Gulshan area looking for an opportune moment to carry out their plan.
Seeing Cesare Tavella on a deserted and dark road by chance, Bhagina Rasel told Shooter Rubel that if he was able to shoot the foreign national he would be paid for it, in addition to having his debt forgiven.
Rubel unloaded four of the five bullets in his gun into Tavella’s body, fatally injuring him. Tavella succumbed to his injuries at the nearby United Hospital.
On October 25, after arresting four suspects, DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Miah said three people took part in the murder after being instructed to do so by a “big brother.”
Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of DB police, later said detectives had evidence that several “big brothers” were behind the killing.
Police Deputy Commissioner Muntasir yesterday said that police would be able to determine whether more “big brothers” were involved after taking Matin on remand. “We are hopeful of solving the mystery of the big brothers.”