Many questions unanswered, motive still unknown

The investigators have said Mitu's mobile phone and the sharp weapon used in the murder are yet to be recovered. Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, mother of two, was stabbed and shot to death near her house in the city's GEC area on June 5 as she waiting with her son Akter Mahmud Maheer for his school bus. Police have arrested seven men including two who allegedly took part directly in the killing mission. Prime accused Kamrul Islam Musa alias Musa Sikdar is on the run. His wife Panna Akhtar has alleged that he was arrested on June 22 by plainclothes police.The mysterious smsSixty days after the murder of Mitu, investigators are yet to determine why she came to the GEC intersection half an hour earlier than the usual bus schedule that morning and how the killers knew her timing. After the murder, neighbours and Mitu’s father Mossharraf said Mitu had received an SMS on her phone telling her Maheer's school would start early that day. But the police say they have looked at the operator's records and found no such text. Maheer's school denied having sent any sms and said school began on usual schedule that day. Tracking the phone to its last known location in city’s Badurtala area on June 6, police found the motorcycle used in the murder there, but no phone.Where is Musa?Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP)’s Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operation) Debdas Bhattacharia said: “We have already made headway in the probe, arresting five accused. But the investigation is still going on.” “The motive behind the grisly murder is still unclear. We will learn who is the mastermind and what the motive behind the murder was, once Musa is arrested,” the officer added. At first, police suspected militant links due to SP Babul's track record in anti-terrorism drives, but later said professional killers had murdered Mitu. Ansar Al Islam, the Bangladeshi affiliate of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), issued a statement condemning the killing. The arrestees were— Motaleb Mia Washim, Md Anwar, Ehteshamul Haque Bhola, Shahjahan Mia, Musa’s elder brother Saiful Islam Saku, Abu Nosor Gunnu and Shahjaman Robin. On June 26, Washim and Anwar gave confessional statements before a court in Chittagong. There they gave the names of associates - Musa, Nabi, Rashed, Kalu and Shahjahan. They said police informant Musa had hired the killers and did not tell them who Mitu was. Wasim said Musa had shot Mitu in the head while Nabi had stabbed her. They also said one Ehteshamul Haque Bhola had supplied the firearms to Musa and taken them back after the operation. Investigators later picked SP Babul in Dhaka, creating the speculation that he was arrested in connection with the murder. He was released after 15 hours and the Detective Branch said they had quizzed him to verify some “vital information.” On June 28, police arrested Bhola and his aide Monir with two firearms from city’s Rajakhali area. On July 28, CMP issued an alert in all airports and land ports against Musa, Kalu,  Nabi, Rashed and Shahjahan so they could not leave the country. On July 1, police arrested Musa’s brother Saku and Shahjahan from Rangunia upazila. On July 5, police said Nur Nabi, 28, and Nurul Islam Rashed, 29, two men directly involved in the killing, were killed in a gunfight during an arrest in Rangunia. Asked about Musa and Kalu’s whereabouts, Assistant Commissioner of CMP’s Detective Branch Mohammed Kamruzzaman, the investigation officer of the case, said police were trying to arrest them. “Apart from that we have been grilling Bhola and Shahjajan to glean more information on the killing,” said the AC.