Three days into the sensational six murders, detectives yesterday were assessing witness accounts and background of so-called religious leader Lutfor Rahman Faruk to unearth the motive behind the killings.
Admitting failure to ascertain the motive, the detectives claimed that they had been confused by the information provided by Lutfor’s family members and the witnesses.
Unknown killers slaughtered Lutfor, his son Sarwarul Islam Monir and four followers at his house on Ramakrishna Mission Road in the capital on Saturday afternoon by keeping his family members and other followers as hostages.
Lutfor was a self-proclaimed pir and claimed to have been the commander-in-chief of Imam Mahdi’s forces since 1997.
“We are yet to arrest or detain anybody. We also did not find the motive behind the brutal murders,” said Jahangir Hossain Matubbar, DB deputy commissioner (east zone).
Lutfor’s family members and followers, who had been present in the house during the incident, were providing contradictory information, he said.
The official, however, claimed that they were trying to identify and locate the killers by using advanced technology.
According to Jahangir Hossain, another DB deputy commissioner, once the family members said the killers introduced them as Jamaat-e-Islami men and asked for shelter as they were chased after by the police.
“They further said the killers introduced them as saying that they were robbers and went to the house to kill them all,” he said. “But during the interrogation, they said they were informed of the visit of a group of 14 guests, and for this Shaheen [one of the deceased] bought commodities to entertain them.”
Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam of the DB police said: “A total of persons took part in the killings while several others remained guard in the surrounding area. All the killers were highly professional.”
He said: “We are carrying out investigation keeping three issues in considerations – religious practice or views of Lutfor, financial dealing and robbery.”
A retired army man
Son of Hossain Zoarder, Lutfor had been known to all of Haluaghat in Mymensingh as Lal Chan Munshi.
His wife Salma Begum claimed that after passing the HSC, Lutfor had been with the army in 1978. But he left the job within few years and joined Eagle Garments factory in Dhaka. He had also launched buying house business.
“But my husband appeared as a pir in 1997,” Salma said.
Sources said Lutfor had first become disciple to one Shahjahan, who was also a self-proclaimed pir in Natiyapara of Tangail in 1991. But within two years, he left Shahjahan following a feud them, and in 1997, he claimed himself to be a pir in his area.
At one stage, he was driven away by the local people and later he started residing in the capital’s Gendaria. There he had been claiming himself to be the commander-in-chief of the forces of Imam Mahdi.
Lutfor faces several cases filed against him with Shahbagh, Sutrapur and Demra police stations. He also came under attack several times.
