Police yesterday claimed to have identified the criminals who had killed three Awami League supporters and injured another in Dhaka’s Madhya Badda three days ago.
However, investigators, who have detained five people in connection with the incident, have yet to know for certain the motive behind the killing.
Around 9pm on Thursday, three to four criminals came to the Adarshanagar water pump area in Madhya Badda and opened fire on Mahbubur Rahman Gama, Shamsuddin Molla, Firoz Ahmed and Abdus Salam, who were having their customary evening chat there.
Shamshuddin, a ward-level leader of Awami League, and Firoz, caretaker of a local private hospital, died soon after they were taken to hospital.
Mahbubur Rahman Gama, leader of the ruling party’s volunteers’ wing Swechchhasebak League, died on Friday from the bullet wounds that he had sustained.
They were all attached with various associate bodies of the ruling Awami League.
Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of police’s Detective Branch (DB), told reporters about identifying the three murderers after a programme in Dhaka yesterday afternoon.
“DB started a shadow investigation right after the murder instead of waiting for filing of cases and has already identified those involved...They will be arrested soon,” he said.
Asked about the motive, Monirul said business rivalry, especially centring the control of the local cattle market for Eid-ul-Azha, and other money-related disputes could be the reasons.
Police sources said investigators had taken dozens of local ruling party leaders under surveillance right after the murders and detained five people named Faruk, Milon, Nurul Islam Nuru, Mintu, Mamun and Bijoy.
Team from the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is also conducting drives of their own to arrest other suspects including Ramjan, Maruf Ahmed Manik, Roni, Karni Sohel, Shamim, Rana, Khalil, Mahabub, Pavel and Jewel.
Meanwhile, Shamsuddin’s family have alleged that local police had harassed them. Jahid Molla, a cousin of the deceased, said that police had refused to accept their case.
“We wanted to accuse Sohel, Jewel, Bijoy and Manun in our case. But police neither took our case nor gave any reason,” Jahid said.
When contacted, Rafiqul Islam, assistant commissioner of police’s Badda Zone, said: “As the three people died in the same attack, so there will be just one case. If they [Shamsuddin’s family] has additional information to give then their complaint will be recorded under the common case.”
