A week after his arrest in the Zubair Ahmed murder case, undocumented foreign national Abuubaida Kadir’s origins and personal history remained a mystery to investigators.
No foreign embassy has yet sought to provide him with consular assistance. The Detective Branch (DB) of police says it is searching for clues about his nationality and travel history to Bangladesh.
Kadir’s own statements to the police have been contradictory. He sometimes claims to have arrived here 12 years ago and at other times says he came 10 years ago.
He bought a cell phone here by providing his personal information as a Bangladeshi, Abdul Ahad, DB additional deputy commissioner (ADC), told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
“In addition to contacting different embassies, we are seeking Special Branch (SB) assistance to determine how and when he entered into the country,” he said.
Ahad said contact had been made with the Algerian embassy in Pakistan, which also handles Bangladesh, in order to verify Kadir’s identity.
Bangladeshi investigators hope to be provided with a thorough biography of the suspect if he is, in fact, Algerian because their compulsory military service would likely keep thorough personnel records, Ahad said.
In addition to determining his nationality, investigators sought information about his finances, his entry into the country and his work history during his stay in Bangladesh, the DB official said.
Kadir’s statements about his work and place of residence also raised questions, said Ahad. Kadir changed his address quite often, he said
The suspect gave investigators the names of some of his students, telling police that he tutored them in Arabic, French and English and also taught them football. Police believe Kadir worked for a number of educational institutions in Uttara but this is yet to be confirmed, he said.
Asked whether Zubair was Kadir’s only victim, the ADC said police had recovered texts and chat histories with teenagers from Kadir’s Facebook. “We have received several complaints but cannot say anything for certain until we find proof,” he said.
Sirajul Islam Khan, a friend of Zubair, who has known Kadir for the last 10 years, told the Dhaka Tribune that he was always unclear about where Kadir lived. He said Kadir claimed at various times to live in sector 8, sector 6 and sometimes sector 7 of Uttara.
Police said Kadir’s last residence was at house 8, road 2, sector 6 of Uttara. He lived there in a single rented room on the top floor of the house.
Fabiha Saiza, a close friend of Zubair, told the Dhaka Tribune that Zubair often talked about Kadir and all of his comments were positive. He never said anything negative about Kadir and did not tolerate any negative words against Kadir. She said she thought Kadir lived somewhere in Uttara sector 6.
Kadir, 46, a self-styled soccer coach and freelance foreign language tutor arrested on October 6 on the charge of murdering O-level student Zubair Ahmed, is on a four-day remand.
On Sunday, the DB said Kadir killed Zubair in an Uttara pond after attempting to sexually assault him. The key DB witness, a 17-year-old boy who says he witnessed the murder, was in remand until yesterday. He will be placed in court today where he may give a confessional statement to the court, police sources said.
