A Dhaka court on Wednesday granted three days’ remand to Majedul Haque alias Helal, owner of Hamidul Haq Arms and Co, in a case filed over the killing of Inquilab Mancha convener Sharif Osman Hadi.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Joshita Islam passed the order after hearing a petition from the investigation officer, Prosecution Sub-Inspector Rokonuzzaman confirmed the matter.
Helal was arrested on Tuesday by Detective Branch (DB) of Police, with support from Chittagong police, from Hares Shah Mazar Lane of Chawkbazar Police Station in Chittagong.
CID Police Dhaka Metro (East) Assistant Superintendent Abdur Qadir Bhuiyan produced him before the court, seeking a seven-day remand to question him about the source and transfer of the weapon used in the killing.
According to the case details, the pistol used in the attack was recovered from Narsingdi, where a separate case was filed under the Arms Act. Forensic tests confirmed that cartridges and bullets recovered from the scene were fired from the same weapon, and microanalysis helped identify its serial number.
Investigators found that the pistol had been imported by M H Arms Co in Dhaka, sold to Islam Uddin Ahmed and Sons in Chawkbazar in December 2017, and later sold to Hamidul Haq Arms and Co in Chittagong in February 2018, when Helal was the owner.
The license, originally issued in his father’s name, had expired in 2014 and was not renewed.
The prosecution told the court that Helal’s interrogation was crucial to determine how the weapon reached the main accused in the killing Faisal Karim Masud. The court, however, granted a three-day remand instead of the seven days sought.
Hadi, who gained prominence during the July uprising, was shot on December 12 in Bijoynagar while campaigning for the 13th parliamentary election as an independent candidate from Dhaka-8. He was first treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, later shifted to Evercare Hospital, and then flown to Singapore, where he died on December 18.
DB submitted a charge sheet on January 6, naming 17 accused, including Faisal Karim Masud as the prime suspect. Police said the killing was carried out for “political revenge,” though Inquilab Mancha has expressed dissatisfaction with the findings.
