Police’s investigation into last year’s sensational murders of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella and Japanese national Hoshi Kunio is nearly completed, and they hope to submit the charge sheets at the shortest possible time.
Several accused detained in the cases have made confessional statements. But the law enforcers are yet to find the murder weapon used in killing Tavella while in the other case, the investigation officer said that they were checking if any prime accused had been left out.
NGO worker Tavella was killed by assassins in Dhaka’s Gulshan area on September 28. Kunio, who used to run a farm in Rangpur, was shot down in a similar fashion on October 3. Dae’sh or Islamic State claimed responsibility for both the murders but the government refuted the claims as baseless.
Investigating officers have found the link of BNP men in Tavella murder and militant group JMB’s involvement in the other.
In Tavella murder case, police’s Detective Branch officials produced four persons in front of the media on October 26 claiming them as the attackers. They are Minhazul Arefin Russel alias Vagne Russel, Ahmed Rubel alias Shooter Rubel, Chakti Russel and Sakhawat Hossain alias Sharif. Of them, Russel, Sharif and Rubel gave confessional statements.
Later the police arrested MA Matin, the younger brother of BNP Joint Convener MA Qaiyum alias Qaiyum Commissioner, for masterminding the killing. The investigation has remained stuck since then while Qaiyum, who allegedly planned the killing, could not be traced as of yet.
DB Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Nazmul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that they had got some information about the murder weapon and were conducting drives to recover it. He hoped that the investigation would be completed soon.
In Kunio murder, police have arrested five people – BNP leader Rashed-un-Nabi Khan, Humayun Kabir Hira and three members of banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh. Of them, JMB leader Masud Rana, 38, made confessional statement admitting the outfit’s involvement in the killing.
Humayun Kabir, deputy inspector general of Rangpur range police, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had arrested the prime accused and also recovered the murder weapon. “Now we are taking some time to complete the investigation so that anyone involved in the murder cannot escape.”
He was also hopeful to complete the charge sheet soon.
Police chief AKM Shahidul Hoque said that the law enforcers were working to arrest the absconding accused in the cases.
