The Pir, who was slaughtered along with five others on Saturday night at Gopibag in the Capital, had a mysterious and controversial life.
Hailing from Bhuapur of Tangail district, Lutfor was arrested for the last time on October 14 in 2011 by Detective Branch (DB) of Police for his claim and also a case filed against him with Shahbagh Police Station on charges of hurting religious sentiment earlier in 2009.
He was imprisoned in 2007 and once he was assaulted by a group of people in the capital’s Jatrabari for the same reason.
On May 21 in 2005, Lutfor Rahman and three of his followers were admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital after sustaining injuries in a clash at Bibir Bagicha of Demra between local people and his followers, spreading tension in the entire locality.
Lutfor also circulated leaflets claiming himself as Imam Mahdi, who according to Muslim myth would revive Islam from its sad state.
Extreme Islamists and fundamentalists organizations ran attacks.Lutfor Rahman’s residence several times, for his claim to beImam Mahdi as well as the last Prophet,.
Different Islamist organisations like Islami Shashantantra Andolan, Khelafat Andolan, Khelafat Majlish and Islami Oikya Parishad staged angry demonstrations aginst his activities in National Baitul Mukarram Mosque area several times from 2007 to 2009.
ADC Mehedi Hasan said Lutfor was arrested at least three times by police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) personnel in 2007, 2009 and 2011.
Asked whether such claims by Lutfor were linked to his murder along with five others, the ADC said they were not sure, however, he, said, “We have taken also the matter to our consideration as a window of the investigation.”
Killed lutfor Rahman had two sons, including deceased Monir, and another son Abdulla who was yet to be traced out.
Building owner Shirin Akhter, the wife of deputy secretary Waliur Rahman of the Education Menistry, said they used to reside at different houses in Tikatuli and they came to know about the murder when the guard of the building, Sarwar Islam, had informed them over phone.
Shirin said she got the building as her father had gifted it to her.
“Monir had come to rent the house as saying he had got married recently with a school teacher in Uttara and would reside with his parents”, said Shirin.
She added: “The house was rented at Tk 24,000 per month.”
There were five women, including the wife of Lutfor Rahman and the wife of his son Monir Hossain, and two and a half-year-old child, who had been taken to a separate room by holding them hostage at gunpoint.
The women said those eight killers had first knocked at the door as saying they were chased after by police and needed shelters and after their entrances, they told them that they (killers) had come to the house for robbery and killing all of them.
Meanwhile, in the latest development, police detained six persons from a mess located on the ground floor of the building for questioning, said ADC Mehedi Hasan.
