Prominent octogenarian photojournalist Aftab Ahmed was killed at his Wapda Road residence in the capital’s Rampura. His body was recovered yesterday morning with his hands and legs tightly tied.
“We recovered the body of the 80-year-old journalist from his house in the morning. We suspect he was strangulated to death,” said Kripasindhu Bala, officer-in-charge of Rampura Police Station.
Aftab was famous for his photography of the Liberation War in 1971 including the surrender of the Pakistani forces on December 16 and the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with his family and relatives in 1975.
He also earned fame for his photography of Basanti of Chilmari in Kurigram. His creation of Basanti wearing a fishing net depicted the poignant image of the famine of 1974.
He was awarded the most prestigious Ekushey Padak in 2006 for his contribution in 1971.
The OC said police went to the spot on information from the victim’s daughter and son-in-law.
Since his wife died seven years ago Aftab Ahmed has been residing alone on the 2nd floor of his four-storey building. His son Monowar Ahmed lives in Jessore and a daughter Afroza Ahmed Barna, who is an official of the National University, lives with her husband in Gazipur.
His driver Kabir Hossain and housemaid Nasima Khatun were taking care of him in absence of his son and daughter.
“As I found the door locked I knocked on it several times. But as there was no response I informed the tenants who opened the door and found him dead,” said Nasima.
His daughter Afroza Ahmed Barna said she came to her father’s house on information of the death of her father.
She said the entire house was ransacked and a good amount of money and valuables were missing. “We do not have any clue as to why my father was killed.”
“Although Aftab’s housemaid Nasima is available but driver Kabir has remained untraced,” said Faruq, Barna’s husband, adding: “Everything in the house was found scattered and disorganised.”
Nasima was taken into police custody for interrogation. Rampura OC Kripasindhu Bala said: “Nothing should be said for sure at this moment and we are yet to detain anybody.”
However, journalist Zahirul Huq, a long-time colleague of late Aftab Ahmed, said he had a large amount of cash money which might have caused his killing.
Inspector Nasim Ahmed (OC-Investigation) of Rampura Police Station said his son-in-law had informed police around 9:00am after he came from his Gazipur residence along with his wife Barna.
Born in 1935 in Mohipur village under Gongachora upazila in Rangpur district, he joined Bengali daily the Ittefaq in 1962.
Immediately after the information of the murder, personnel from Rab, police, detectives and Crime Scene unit of the Criminal Investigation Department rushed to the spot.
Additional Commissioner Maruf Hasan of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said, primarily they suspected that the lensman might have been strangulated to death as no injury mark was found on his body.