Aktaruzzaman, alias Shaheen, the alleged mastermind behind the murder of former MP Anwarul Azim Anar, has become a figure of intense curiosity and speculation.
Media reports say that Anwarul was allegedly involved in a gold smuggling business with his childhood friend Aktaruzzaman. The two had a fallout over business matters, which led to the murder of a member of parliament in Kolkata.
Early life and career
Shaheen is the younger brother of Shahidul Islam Selim, the incumbent mayor of Kotchandpur Municipality in Jhenaidah.
While much about his early life remains obscure, it is known that he initially worked as a marine engineer in the Chittagong region.
However, locals said he moved to Dhaka to start his business ventures soon and eventually moved to the US with the help of his brother, engineer Moniruzzaman.
Shaheen lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his family. Despite living in the US, he frequently visited Bangladesh.
Rise to wealth and power
Over the past decade and a half, Shaheen has amassed significant wealth. He built a luxurious bungalow on 25 bighas of land in the secluded Elangi village, Kotchandpur upazila.
This modern fortress, equipped with high-end furniture, guard dogs, and numerous employees, is surrounded by a large gate and monitored by CCTV cameras, making it inaccessible to the general public.
MP Anar murder: DB to seek Interpol’s help to bring back mastermind ShaheenLocals said they noticed many influential people, including media figures and police officials, visiting the bungalow.
This bungalow was used for entertaining guests. Locals said people used to visit this villa even when Akhtaruzzaman was in the US.
Connections and alleged crimes
Aktaruzzaman's connections ran deep, extending to high-profile political figures. His friendship with Anwarul Azim Anar spanned almost 30 years.
Local residents revealed that Aktaruzzaman acted as an arbitrator in the area, and his decisions were final. Those who opposed him faced police harassment.
His influence was so formidable that filing a complaint against him proved futile, a local resident alleged.
Three years ago, his followers clashed over the control of a battery-powered vehicle stand in Kotchandpur, leading to complaints against Shaheen, though he escaped legal consequences.
According to sources at the Kotchandpur police station, there are no records of any cases against Shaheen.
The murder plot
The killers planned the murder two to three months ago and held multiple meetings at two houses at Gulshan and Bashundhara, owned by Shaheen, reports said.
One of the people arrested in the case, Amanullah told the police that he had a Tk5 crore contract with Shaheen to kill Anwarul.
According to law enforcers, Anwarul was lured to a rented flat in Kolkata's New Town, where he was murdered on the night of May 13.
A person named Shaheen had rented the flat in “Sanjeeva Gardens” using his US passport details, matching Shaheen’s description.
Shaheen’s brother Shahiduzzaman said his brother did not directly rent the flat in Kolkata but stayed there occasionally as it belonged to an acquaintance.
Shaheen came to Bangladesh a week ago, but left afterwards, he said.
On Apr 30, he went to the rented flat in Kolkata, police said, and left after giving instructions to his assistants.
According to the Detective Branch (DB) of police, an investigation revealed that Shaheen returned to Bangladesh on May 10, and Anwarul traveled to India on May 12.
Shaheen then traveled from Dhaka to Kathmandu via Delhi on May 20, before heading to the US via Dubai.
On Sunday, the DMP’s DB chief Harunor Rashid said they would seek help from Interpol to bring Shaheen back.
