A Chittagong court has granted investigators five days to quiz former superintendent of police (SP) Babul Akter in custody over the murder of his wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu five years ago.
The former senior police officer was produced in the metropolitan magistrate’s court on Wednesday, when the police moved a plea for a seven-day remand. The court granted five days.
Earlier in the day, Mitu’s father Mosharraf Hossain filed a case against Babul and seven others with the Panchlaish Police Station in the port city.
The seven others named in the case are Kamrul Islam Musa, his brother Saiful Islam Saku, Motaleb Mia Wasim, Anwar Hossain, firearms supplier Ehteshamul Haque Bhola, Md Shahjahan and Khairul Islam Kalu.
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It comes a day after the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) in Chittagong detained Babul on Tuesday for questioning.
On Wednesday, PBI chief Banaj Kumar Majumder told the media in Dhaka that they found evidences linking the former SP to the daylight murder of Mitu.
“The PBI has found evidence that Babul Akter was involved in the murder of Mitu,” Deputy Inspector General Majumder said at a media call at the PBI headquarters in Dhaka.
According to the PBI, Musa was a “close source” (criminal informant) of Babul.
Former SP Babul Akter, left, wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu Collected
"Babul did not divulge any information about Musa since the murder. Later, Musa's involvement was confirmed,” the PBI chief said before adding Musa was yet to be arrested.
Babul's friend Saiful Haque and one Al Mamun gave confessional statement under Section 164, said PBI chief Majumder.
"After analyzing the facts and evidence, it has been confirmed that Babul Akter planned and ordered the murder.”
What happened earlier?
On the morning of June 5, 2016, three assailants stabbed and shot Mitu dead when she was on her way to drop her son to the school bus stop at GEC intersection in the port city.
Immediately after the grisly murder, investigators said militants may have settled a score against Babul as he conducted several successful anti-terrorism drives. However, they said later that professional killers were behind it and that one Kamrul Islam Musa, alias Musa Sikdar, had hired them and plotted the murder.
Babul was in Dhaka at the time to join Police Headquarters after being promoted. Just before that he was stationed in Chittagong.
He lodged a case accusing unidentified persons with the Panchlaish police station in the port city.
Following the murder, Babul was relieved of his duties in September 2016.
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Though Babul’s father-in-law Mosharraf Hossain stood in favour of him then, he later asked investigators to probe into any extramarital affairs Babul may have had.
In a dramatic move in June 2017, Babul was picked up from his father-in-law’s house in Dhaka and quizzed in police custody. During the quizzing, it was rumoured that Babul was arrested for his alleged involvement. However, then police official Babul was freed after 15 hours.
Kamrul Islam Musa, the key accused in the murder, was an informant of Babul which he revealed during his confession in December 2017.
Police have so far, made five arrests including, two people who were directly involved in the killing– Anwar, Motaleb Mia Wasim, Shahjahan Mia, Musa’s brother Saiful Islam Saku, and firearms supplier Ehteshamul Haque Bhola.
Two others, Musa and Kalu, are still on the run.
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On June 26, 2016, Anwar and Wasim gave their confessional statements under Section 164 of the Penal Code before a court in Chittagong implicating Musa and several others in the murder.
On July 5, 2016, two of the accused Nurul Islam Rashed and Nur Nabi, were killed in a gunfight with police in Chittagong.
Since the murder, Chittagong Metropolitan Police has issued a red alert in all land and airports for Musa and Kalu with a bounty of Tk5 lakh for Musa.
Although the police claimed Musa went into hiding, his wife Panna Akter claimed that plainclothes police detained him and his brother Saku in the Bandar area of Chittagong on June 22, 2016.
Later on, Saku was formally arrested in the case, but the police repeatedly denied the claims of Musa’s wife.
