The killing of Swechchhasebak Dal leader Azizur Rahman Musabbir in Dhaka’s Kawran Bazar was driven by disputes over extortion and control of the area, police said on Saturday.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner (Detective) Shafiqul Islam disclosed the information at a press briefing held around 11am at the DMP Media Centre on Mintu Road.
Detective Branch (DB) police have arrested one of the shooters, Md Rahim, and recovered two foreign pistols, two magazines and 12 rounds of ammunition used in the murder, he said.
Rahim was arrested during a raid at a house in the Madhabdi police station area of Narsingdi early Friday. A case under the Arms Act has been filed against him at Madhabdi police station.
Shafiqul Islam said eight to nine extortion syndicates — both overt and covert — are active in the Kawran Bazar area. The murder was carried out on the orders of a man known as Dilip alias Binash following a dispute over extortion proceeds.
“The DB is working to dismantle these syndicates, and a large-scale operation will begin soon,” he said.
Musabbir was shot dead in an alley beside Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue in Kawran Bazar on January 7. The following day, his wife filed a murder case with Tejgaon police station against four to five unidentified individuals.
Earlier, DB police arrested Jinnat, 24; Abdul Qadir, 28; Md Riaz, 31; and Md Bilal in connection with the murder on January 11. With Rahim’s arrest, a total of five people have now been detained in the case.
Asked about the political identities of the arrestees, Shafiqul Islam said they should be identified as extortionists, not political activists.
“Extortionists have no political ideology. They often take shelter under different political banners to carry out their activities,” he said.
The DMP official also said operations to recover illegal firearms have been intensified ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election and the referendum.
As part of the drive, DB’s Wari division arrested two individuals — Rana Molla, 26, and Nur Mohammad, 32 — during an operation in the Jatrabari area on Friday, recovering a foreign pistol, two magazines, seven rounds of ammunition and a motorcycle.
He added that operations to recover illegal firearms would continue.
