The Ministry of Home Affairs at last have been signalled green by the Defence Ministry over the issue of arresting the three ex-RAB officials, who have been sent on retirement for their alleged involvement with Narayanganj Seven-murder incident.
The Defence Ministery has sent a letter to the Home Ministry in this regard on Thursday evening, four days after the High Court ordered to arrest the accused RAB men.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune on Thursday night, State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said: “ In the light of the HC order, the Defence Ministry sent a letter in the evening regarding the arrest of the RAB officials. We will now act on the letter and detailed information will be known on Friday.
However, he did not disclosed anything about the content of the letter.
Additional Home Secretary Shawkat Mostofa told the Dhaka Tribune: “The Defence Ministry, in its letter to the Home Ministry, have said that there was no bar to arrest the former Rab11 officials.”
The letter has been issued as per the demand of the investigation officer of the case, he added.
NCC panel mayor Nazrul Islam, senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and five other people were abducted on April 27.
On April 28, Nazrul's wife filed an abduction case against another local Ward Counsillor Nur Hossain, who later managed to flee to Kolkata from within the surveillance net of the law enforcers.
On April 30, the bodies of the victims surfaced in the Sitalakhya river. Autopsy report said they were murdered by professionals.
Allegations rose against three RAB officials to have been involved in the murder in exchange of money – Tk6 crore.
Later, they were sent to force retirement. The home ministry has ordered to arrest them as per a High Court directive.
However, the RAB officials are yet to be arrested.
On Thursday afternoon, the family members of the seven-murdered victims announced that non-stop shutdown would be enforced in the city, if the three accused officials of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are not arrested within 48 hours.