Separate teams from the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are on the hunt for the remaining accused in a case filed over the murder of a man in broad daylight in Pallabi, officials from the law enforcement agencies told Dhaka Tribune on Saturday.
So far, seven out of the 20 named accused in the case have been arrested, and raids to catch the others are being conducted on a priority basis, they added.
According to the case statement, MA Awal, former lawmaker from Lakshmipur 1 constituency, hired a group of miscreants to kill murder victim Shahuddin over a land dispute.
RAB arrested four out of the seven accused who have so far been detained, including prime accused Awal. The other three were identified as Dipu, Hasan and Baitta Babu, confirmed RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Cdr Khandaker Al Moin.
Md Manik, another one of the accused, was killed in a reported gunfight with RAB on Friday, the RAB commander added.
“Operations are ongoing. We will be able to arrest the accused soon,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
Also read- Ex-MP Awal, 2 others remanded over Pallabi murder
The three accused arrested by police and DB were identified as main planner of the murder Md Sumon Bepari, Md Rocky Talukder, and Murad. Murad was detained the day after the murder on May 16.
DMP DB Additional Deputy Commissioner (Mirpur Division) Md Ahsan Khan told this newspaper: “Three of my teams are conducting raids to arrest the fugitives. Another team is transporting the accused from custody to court, and yet another team is carrying out the investigation on the surface. The investigation is in full swing.”
The DB official further said Rocky and Murad were sent to record their confessions in front of a magistrate under section 164 of the Penal Code 1860. The recording of the confessions was still ongoing at the time of filing this report at 7:00pm on Saturday.
Murder planner Sumon has already been placed on 5-day remand, he added.
Shahinuddin, 34, was brutally hacked to death in front of his seven-year-old child on May 15. Footage of the murder was leaked on social media platforms, leading to widespread outrage.
Shahinuddin’s mother Aklima Begum filed the case over his murder.
Earlier on May 11, Aklima had lodged a general diary accusing six people, including Awal and Sumon, of harassing her son in an attempt to forcibly occupy 20 acres of land in Pallabi’s Alinagar area.
