Three more RAB members, shown arrested on Monday night in the Narayanganj seven murders cases, were placed on seven days’ remand yesterday morning, a day after a local court ordered investigators to speed things up.
Police did not say where these three had been arrested at. However, yesterday afternoon, a RAB release said they had sent the three to Narayanganj police on Monday morning on the basis of a request.
The release referred to a letter sent by Narayanganj police on October 19 requesting to have three RAB men in custody for interrogation, but police said they wanted more.
When contacted last night, Narayanganj police chief (SP) Khandker Mahid Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune: “Go and ask RAB whether we wanted only these three or did we want more,” Mahid said.
When told that the RAB release said they had sent the three people police had wanted, the SP said: “Many people may say many things. Many may even try to misguide you [journalists]. There are some people who want to slow down the investigation.”
One of the three shown arrested yesterday was Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Bajlur Rahman who works for RAB 11 stationed in the port city. He was also stationed there when the murders took place.
The other two – Habilder Nasiruddin from and ASI Abdul Kalam Azad from two other units of the force – were also stationed in RAB 11 in Narayanganj at the time of the murders but were later transferred to their current workplaces.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Maj Rummon Mahmud, deputy director of RAB’s Legal and Media Wing, admitted that police had actually wanted to have more people in their custody.
Asked why they had sent only three, he said: “It is a continuous process. Police regularly send such requests.” He however could not confirm exactly how many people police had wanted.
SP Mahid said the names of these three and many other RAB members have come up in confessions given by different people after the murders.
“The pace has been slow. We are calling up people after a lot of scrutiny so that no innocent people are harassed,” Mahid said.
He also another dismissed RAB personnel, arrested in Magura, was currently on the way to Narayanganj. But he did not disclose the identity of the former RAB man.
On Monday, a Narayanganj court ordered police to speed up things and submit charge sheet in the sensational murder cases by January 22.
On April 27, seven people, including Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam, were abducted from Fatullah of Narayanganj city. Three days later, six of their bodies were recovered from the Shitalakkhya River. Another body was recovered the next day.
Detectives have so far arrested a total of 27 people in connection with the killings.
Three former RAB 11 officials – Lt Col Tareque, Major Arif Hossain and Lt Commander MM Rana – confessed their involvement in the murders.
Prime accused Nur Hossain, who had been on the run since the murders, was arrested in India on June 14 on charges of trespassing.
