Akash Mondol alias Irfan, who is suspected of being involved in the murder case of seven staff members of the cargo ship MV-Al Bakhera in the Meghna river has been remanded in custody for 7 days on Wednesday.
Akash Mondol was presented before the Chandpur Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Farhan Sadiq’s court, where the investigating officer, Inspector Mohammad Kalam Khan of the Naval Police, requested a 10-day remand. The court granted a 7-day remand.
The government’s legal team in court included Assistant Public Prosecutors (APP) Advocate Sharif Mahmud Sayem, Advocate Masud Pradhaniya, Advocate Yasin Arafat Ikram, Advocate Shahjahan Khan, Advocate Shamim Hossain, Advocate Milton, and Advocate Tofayel.
Earlier, Akash Mondol alias Irfan, was arrested by members of RAB-11 from the Chitalmari area of Bagerhat.
On the night of Tuesday, the ship’s owner, Mahabub Morshed, filed a case with the Haimchar Police Station against an unknown robbers gang. In the case, he named Akash Mondol, alias Irfan. The complaint also stated that the injured Jewel had mentioned Irfan was the ninth person on the ship.
Director of RAB’s Law and Media Wing, Lieutenant Colonel Munim Ferdous, claimed that Akash Mondol, frustrated by not receiving his salary and due to previous mistreatment, killed the ship’s master, Golam Kibria, along with the rest of the crew. Irfan worked alongside the ship’s helmsman in the engine room.
According to RAB’s primary interrogation, they further claimed that Irfan had gone to a market in Pabna to buy sleeping pills for the crew. The Chinese axe used in the murders was already present on the ship which was kept for security purposes. During the previous evening’s meal preparation, Irfan secretly mixed the sleeping pills into the food. After the crew became unconscious from the food, Irfan wore gloves and used the Chinese axe to kill the master and the others. To avoid detection, Irfan then navigated the ship to Haimchar and escaped on another trawler.
The Naval Police have said that while they do not have specific evidence regarding this sensational murder, they are working on the basis of crime scene analysis. The bodies of the victims were found in their respective rooms, as if they were sleeping, with severe head injuries. They suspect that if anyone had attacked, the victims would have fought back or screamed, but there were no such signs. Investigations are ongoing.
A probe committee has been formed by the district police, naval police, and district administration. Relatives of the murdered individuals and marine workers have demanded that the true perpetrators be swiftly brought to justice. The marine workers also requested financial assistance of Tk2mn for each affected family within the next two days. If this is not provided, the maritime workers have warned of a nationwide strike from midnight on December 26, halting river traffic.
In response, the Police Superintendent of the Chandpur Naval Police Region, Syed Mushfiqur Rahman, said: "Upon receiving information, we went to the ship and found the bodies in their respective sleeping rooms. On a cold night, when we cover ourselves with blankets, the victims appeared to be sleeping in the same way. Each one had a head injury."
He added: "Normally, we assume that if someone is about to be murdered, they would try to defend themselves, either with their hands or feet. However, we found only head injuries. If a murder occurred in one room, there would likely be noise or commotion, and the other crew members would gather. But there was no sign of that. This suggests the possibility of poisoning or administering sleeping pills."
The officer further said: "We have sent the bodies for post-mortem examination and are preparing the viscera report. Once we receive the scientific results from the laboratory, we will be able to confirm the cause of this crime."
He also said: "From our observations, this seems to be a well-planned murder. The perpetrator or perpetrators were likely familiar with the crew and the ship’s route, as the ship had previously docked at the port in Chittagong. As per the latest information on December 24, there were eight crew members on board. Seven were killed, and one is in critical condition at Dhaka Medical College Hospital."
