Police have arrested 10 individuals in connection with the murder of photographer Nurul Islam, who was killed during a robbery planned to steal his cameras for creating TikTok videos.
The incident occurred in the Jafrabad Pulpar Rishipara area of Dhaka’s Hazaribagh.
The arrests were made on Tuesday in separate drives conducted in Dhaka and Mymensingh, said Md Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of DMP's Ramna Division, during a press briefing at the DMP media centre on Wednesday.
He said the suspects, aged between 18 and 20, had plotted the crime specifically to obtain DSLR cameras for creating TikTok content.
Police recovered two DSLR cameras, a machete, and a large knife used in the killing.
The arrestees are Naeem Ahmed, 20, Shaheen Akand alias Shahinul, 20, Shaheen Chowkidar, 22, Rahim Sarker, 19, Nayan Ahmed, 19, Ridoy Madbor, 18, Abdur Razzak alias Raza, 19, Anwar Hossain, 19, Shahidul Islam, 20, and Mohammad Arman, 18.
DC Masud said Nurul Islam operated a photography page on Facebook and worked at various events as a freelance photographer.
DC Masud continued: "On Thursday, he received a call from an unknown number offering a booking for a wedding shoot, along with an advance payment of Tk500 via bKash. The next evening, he was asked to wait at the Shankar intersection. Nurul left his AGB Colony residence in Motijheel along with his associates, Mohammad Imon and Nure Alam.
"At the Shankar bus stand, a man met them and directed them to the Blooming Child School area in Jafrabad via auto-rickshaw."
The DC added: "When they reached the Jafrabad Pulpar Rishipara area around 8am, a group of miscreants intercepted their vehicle. Imon managed to escape, but Nurul was caught and brutally stabbed with sharp weapons on his head, neck, arms, and fingers. The attackers then snatched two DSLR cameras and Nurul’s bag before fleeing the scene.
"Nurul was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead."
Following the incident, Nurul’s elder brother, Osman Gani, filed a murder case with Hazaribagh police station, DC Masud said.
