Prominent Photo Journalist Aftab Ahmed, who had been honoured with the “Ehushe Padok” in 2006, has been killed at his Wapda Road residence in the capital’s Rampura.
The body of the 80-year-old journalist was recovered from his house in the morning with his hands and legs bound by ropes, suspecting that he was strangulated to death, according to Inspector Kripasindhu Bala, officer-in-charge of Rampura Police Station.
The police recovered Aftab’s body upon being informed by his daughter and son-in-law, the OC disclosed.
Since his wife passed away seven years ago, Aftab Ahmed had been residing alone on the 2nd floor of his four-storey building. His son Monowar Ahmed used to live in Jessore while daughter Afroza Ahmed Borna, who is an official at Nationnal University, lives with her husband in Gazipur.
His chauffeur Kabir Hossain and a housemaid Nasima Khatun had been taking care of him in the absence of his children.
“Discovering the door locked, I knocked several times, after not getting any response for a while I informed the tenants who opened the door before we found him dead,” said housemaid Nasima.
His daughter Afroza said she came to her father’s house after being informed of his death.
She said they were unable to deduce any motives behind her father’s death or the identity of his killer. Her husband Faruq Ahmed however suspect housemaid Nazima and driver Kabor as the perpetrators, seeing how often they used to come to Aftab’s home.
“Although Nasima is available, driver Kabir remains untraced”, said Faruq adding, “Everything in the house was found scattered.”
Asked whether police suspected driver Kabir and whether anyone was detained in connection with the murder, Rampura OC Kripasindhu Bala admitted that they were not considering Kabir at the moment before adding, “Nothing should be commented on at this juncture and we have not detained anyone yet.”
Journalist Zahirul Huq, a longtime time colleague of the late Aftab Ahmed, said he had a large amount of cash money, which he suspects being the probable cause.
Inspector Nasim Ahmed (OC-Investigation) of Rampura Police, said his son-in-law had informed the police at around 9am after he came from his Gazipur residence along with his Born in 1935 in the village of Mohipur, Gongachora upazila in Rangpur, he had joined with the Bengali daily Ittefaq in 1962.
He had been famous for his photography during the Liberation War in 1971, including the surrender of the Pakistani forces on December 16. Photography on the assignation of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with his family and relatives in 1975 and Basanti of Chilmari in Kurigram in 1974 were also among his more famous works.
He was rewarded with the prestigious “Ekushe Padak” in 2006 for his contributions during 1971.
Immediately after the information of the murder, personnel from the Rab, police, detectives and the “Crime Scene” unit of the Criminal Investigation Department, rushed to the spot.
Additional Commissioner Maruf Hasan of Dhaka Metropolitan (DMP) said the primarily suspected the journalist might have been strangulated to death seeing how there were no injury marks found on his body.
“Theft or robbery incident might have led to the murder as his bed was found destabilized and has hands and legs were bound by ropes,” said the DMP Joint Commissioner.
He said the cause of death could be confirmed immediately after autopsy.
The body has been sent to the Dhaka Medical College morgue for autopsy.