A rather disturbing plot on the rape and killing of four of a family in Gazipur unfolded yesterday after RAB revealed its version of the incident.
Two days ago, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) said that Parvez, a 17-year-old boy, had murdered a woman and her three children, after raping two of her daughters, aged 16 and 11.
PBI made the revelation based on the confessional statement under Section 164 by Parvez.
However, at a virtual press briefing on Wednesday, RAB Director (legal and media) Lt Col Sarwar Bin Kashem said that the woman and the girls were gang-raped and killed by multiple perpetrators.
This new twist to the crime story speaks of Parvez being involved in rape and murder along with his father, Kazim Uddin, and several others, according to RAB.
RAB unveiled the plot after they arrested five – Kazim Uddin, 50, Md Hanif, 32, Md Bashir, 26, Helal, 30, Md Elahi Mia, 35 – from different areas of Gazipur’s Sreepur upazila on 28 April.
RAB said the arrestees confessed to the crime during primary interrogation.
Fatema Begum, 40, an Indonesian citizen and wife of an expatriate in Malaysia, and her two daughters Sabrina Sultana Nura, 16 and Haurin, 13, were raped and murdered in the early hours of April 23, at a two-storied building at Jaina Bazar area of Sreepur’s Telihati union.
Fatema’s mentally-challenged son Fadil, 8, was also murdered.
Kashem said the arrestees came to know that her husband, Rezoan Hossain Kajol, 45, had sent Tk20 to Tk22 lakh via Hundi to Fatema.
“Five to seven days before the incident, Kazim and Hanif met up to devise a plan to loot the money. Later on, they made the final plan, including Bashir, Helal and Elahi and others in the plot,” he said, adding: “We came to know that Parvez was also involved with the group.”
The RAB official said the arrestees gathered at around 12:30am behind the house, and Parvez was the first to enter the house through the ventilator.
Later, Hanif entered the house, using a gate to the rooftop, climbing a pipe. Once he opened the back gate of the house, Kazim, Helal, Elahi, Bashir, and a few others entered.
Three of them, including Kazim and Helal, first entered Fatema’s room and threatened her with a sharp instrument. They demanded that she hand over the money to them.
“Fatema gave them Tk30,000. They then snatched her ornaments and gang-raped her,” said Kashem.
Meanwhile, horrific events were unfolding in the other room.
“Bashir, Hanif and Elahi and one more frightened Nura and took away her gold chain. Later they gang-raped her,” he said, adding: “Later, Bashir and another from the group gang-raped Haurin,” said the RAB director.
However, RAB said that Parvez was also involved in the rape and murder as per the arrestee’s statement.
Another three to four persons involved in the incident are currently under RAB’s surveillance, the RAB official said.
Fadil was hacked to death since he had recognized the killers, who wanted to keep no witnesses. All of the deceased had their throats slit because they had recognized the arrestees, he added.
They had hesitated before killing the boy but eventually gave in to murdering him as well, RAB said.
When asked why there were contradictions in the statements of the PBI and RAB, the RAB director said: “There was no incoherence. We appreciate the fact that [PBI] tracked Parvez down and arrested him.
“He knew that as an under-aged person he would be freed, which is why he took all the blame on himself.”
Kashem said that about one and a half months ago, Parvez was caught hiding under one of the victim’s beds. He is accused in different cases of rape and murder.
“The arrestees and their associates would often tease the victims while playing carrom right in front of their house.”
RAB said the looted money and ornaments were in Kazim’s custody and he told others that the items would be distributed among them at a convenient time.
Rezoan Hossain Kajol has been working in Malaysia for a long period of time. He married Indonesian citizen Fatema Begum some 18 to 19 years ago.
Their child, Nura, was a tenth-grader and Haurin was a madrasa student, and their son with intellectual disability, Fadil, was a nursery student.
RAB also recovered Tk30,000, and the looted items from the arrestees.
“The arrestees said they are drug addicts, and made a living working as day labourers, and rickshaw pullers,” said Kashem, adding that they had admitted to being involved in theft and snatching.
They would take drugs near the victims’ house and tease them.
The arrestees claimed that they had committed the crime as they could not manage enough money with their income.
Raihanul Islam Akand from Gazipur contributed to this report.
