A Narayanganj court yesterday ordered law enforcers to explain within four days why ex-RAB officers Tarek Sayeed Mohammad and Arif Hossain were not shown arrested on charges of killing seven people.
The court also granted police seven days to question former RAB 11 official Lt Commander (retd) SM Masud Rana.
A team of Narayanganj police arrested Rana, who had been on the run, at the capital’s cantonment area around 1:30am yesterday.
Mamunur Rashid Mandal, who is investigating two cases filed in connection with the seven murders, sought 10 days’ remand for Rana after producing him before the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate KM Mohiuddin.
Tarek and Arif were put on a five-day remand on Saturday.
The three were shown arrested under section 54 on suspicion of their involvement with the abductions and murders because their names were not mentioned in the cases.
Police yesterday appealed to the court to show them arrested in the cases.
The senior judicial magistrate sought the explanation after fellows of Chandan had moved a petition in this regard.
A large number of people had gathered outside the Senior Judicial Magistrate’s court. Around 5pm, two pickup vans reached the court premises. Wearing a helmet and a bulletproof jacket, Rana was sitting between two policemen inside the van.
As soon as the law enforcers brought Rana to the court, locals and lawyers of Narayanganj court chanted slogans, demanding death sentence for him.
When Rana entered the courtroom a few lawyers started shouting at him, calling him a murderer.
On behalf of the District Lawyers’ Association, its President Shakhawat Hossain Khan submitted to the court why the arrestee should be put on 10-day remand.
He said: “Each of the victims was strangled and hit in the head. The killers also made holes in the abdomen [of the victims] before dumping them in the Shitalakkhya River. They also used bricks which proved that well-trained people committed the offence.”
The lawyer showed the court the ropes and sacks used to tie up the bodies, claiming that those were meant for the elite force. “RAB is also blamed for enforced disappearance, abduction and murder in Comilla, Laksam, Lakshmipur areas,” he said.
During the hearing, Rana claimed himself innocent.
Later, when the police were bringing him out of the court some supporters of ward councillor Nazrul attacked him. A supporter of Nazrul punched Rana on the back while a few others threw shoes at the police van which was carrying him.