Law enforcers yesterday detained the “mystery woman,” who had visited the house of Shaikh Nurul Islam Faruqi only hours before his murder on Wednesday, and another from Murapara area of Narayanganj’s Rupganj.
The detainees are Mahmuda Khatun, 50, and Shariful Islam, 35. They were kept at the Minto Road DB office for further questioning.
Investigation Officer Munshi Sabbir Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune: “During interrogation, the woman admitted that she visited Faruqi’s house a couple of hours before the killing. We are yet to identify the relation of Shariful with her. But it seems that Shariful is close to Mahmuda.”
He said the motive of her visit was yet to be confirmed.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of DB (west) Md Saiful told the Dhaka Tribune: “Primarily, the woman said she visited the house only to take blessings of Faruqi. The motive is not clear yet.”
Faruqi’s second wife Lubna earlier said a mysterious woman had visited the house on Wednesday saying that she was from Barisal. But later she said she had been from the Sundarbans, and again, Rupganj of Narayanganj. Her comments and activities were suspicious.
Lubna and Faruqi’s nephew Maruf had seen the woman that day. But the police are yet to communicate with Faruqi’s family to identify Mahmuda.
Rupganj OC Md Mahmud told the Dhaka Tribune: “A joint team of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and Rupganj police raided a house in Murapara area and detained the duo.
“Earlier in the day, a team of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police reached Rupganj and sought our help in order to detain the woman. She was picked up around 10:30am. The Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police team left Rupganj with the detainees.”
Additional Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Haque said: “We have already made a list of suspects. Mahmuda is one of the suspects.”
Earlier, the law enforcers picked up Maruf and five visitors who were present at the house during the murder for questioning. Meanwhile, the police chief and a senior official of RAB 2 visited Faruqi’s house early yesterday.
Another Mahmuda, wife of Faruqi’s younger brother Abdur Rouf, yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune: “Only Lubna and Maruf saw the face of that woman. Police should bring her to our house in order to identify her. But, we did not get any call from the law enforcers.”
She claimed that an unidentified youth sent a massage to her husband’s Facebook account saying that Faruqi had been killed as he was doing shirk and bid’ah. He even did not deserve namaz-e-janaza.
However, the family did not get any threats after the murder, Lubna told the Dhaka Tribune.
Maruf, eyewitness of the murder, told the Dhaka Tribune: “While killing, the murderers told my uncle ‘see what happens after doing shirk and bid’ah.’”
On Thursday, son of the deceased Faysal Faruqi filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station accusing 10 unnamed people.
Faruqi was a Presidium member of the front. He was also the international affairs secretary of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat – an organisation known for opposing the views of Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam. He was also the imam of Supreme Court mosque.
Faruqi buried
The body of Faruqi reached Panchagar around 4am yesterday and the last janaza was held around 10:50am.
He was buried at his family graveyard at Nautari Nababganj village under Boroshoshi union of Boda.
Meanwhile, Islamic Front Bangladesh and its student body Islami Chhatra Sena have jointly called a half-day hartal for today since the government had failed to arrest the killers within the 48-hour deadline set by the groups.
