Murad, the militant who was killed during the police drive at Rupnagar in Dhaka's Mirpur area on Friday, was the son of a former police inspector in Comilla, according to local sources.
Murad, whose real name was Zahidul Islam according to his national identity card, was the eldest among three children of former police inspector Nurul Islam and his wife Jamila Islam. He was also married and had two daughters with wife Jebunnahar, his neighbours told the Dhaka Tribune.
Originally from Sylhet's Fenchuganj upazila, Nurul Islam moved to Comilla in 1985 and built a three-storey building named Dream House in Chandpur area under Panchthubi union in Comilla Sadar upazila, according to locals.
The family lives on the first floor of the three-storey building; the ground and second floors have been rented out.
When the Dhaka Tribune tried to contact Murad's family, other residents in the building said his parents were in Dhaka as his father had a heart surgery on Friday; they had yet to return.
However, they could not say where Murad's brother and sister were, and the Dhaka Tribune could not contact them.
Zahid's wife and two children have not been seen since late July either, according to sources.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Sanwar Hossain of Counter-Terorrism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit said Zahid and his family used to live in a flat at the building where police raided on Saturday night following a tip-off. The family moved into the flat on July 1 but most likely left by the end of the month.
Only Zahid was seen coming to the flat from time to time, he told the Dhaka Tribune.
On Saturday night, the Election Commission confirmed Zahid's identity using his fingerprints.
Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said according to his national identity card, his full name is Mohammad Zahidul Islam and he was born on September 16, 1979, and he was a government employee.
Sources said Zahidul was a major in Bangladesh Army when he went on retirement by choice. The reason behind his early retirement could not be ascertained.
When locals were shown his photo, they identified him as Zahid as well.
They said he was last seen in Chandpur five or six months ago.
Nurul's tenants Abdul Barek, Joynal Abedin and Tanwi Akhtar said they saw Zahid once or twice in the building.
Locals said they did not know that Zahid was involved in militant activities. they knew he was a major in the army, and Nurul said at the local mosque during Ramadan this year that Zahid had retired from the army and migrated to Canada.
They only found out about him after news of his death in the raid broke out.
Sub-Inspector Shahin of Comilla Kotwali Model police station said: “I visited the house following the instruction from our superiors. There is no one there except for the tenants. The neighbours and locals identified Murad as Zahid.”
Panchthubi union parishad member Md Yunus Miah said: “I personally did not know Zahid, but I am acquainted with his father. I had no knowledge of Zahid's involvement with militancy.”
Thursday, June 04, 2026
