Questions have been raised over whether the two youths who shot at police at a Gulshan check-post last week are the culprits responsible for the murder of Badda Awami League leader Farhad Ali the same day.
Police said they had received similar information, but the matter was still under investigation and yet to be confirmed.
Farhad Ali was shot dead on Friday, June 15. The assailants shot the Awami League leader as he came out of a mosque in Badda’s Alir Mor area. Eye witnesses said one of the shooters was wearing a red T-shirt, while the other was wearing a white one.
Less than 15 minutes later, two youths on an autorickshaw were stopped by police at a check-post in Gulshan’s Gudaraghat. CCTV footage shows that one was wearing a red T-shirt and the other a white one.
Gulshan police station Officer-in-Charge Abu Bakar Siddique said there were four policemen, led by an assistant sub-inspector, at the check-post.
“The suspects were stopped during a regular check. The policemen were unaware of the murder in Badda at that time,” he added.
The OC further said that the autorickshaw had been seized, but it operated on hire.
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According to the CCTV footage, one of the policemen signalled for the autorickshaw to stop and for the passengers to get out at 1:53pm. While police were searching the youth in the white T-shirt, the one in the red T-shirt began to walk away under the guise of speaking on the phone.
When one of the policemen called for the youth in the red T-shirt to return to the autorickshaw, he pulled out a gun and opened fire on the officers. In the meantime, his associate retrieved a gun from the autorickshaw and fled with him, as police took cover.
Locals who were shown pictures of the youths identified them as Jewel and Mirajul, though police said they were yet to confirm their identities.
Badda police station OC Kazi Wazed Ali said the case was being investigated by the Detective Branch (DB)
DB (North) Deputy Commissioner Moshiur Rahman said: “We have begun investigation and are analyzing the CCTV footage. Efforts to arrest the shooters are underway.”
