The suspect in the murder of seven crew members aboard the cargo vessel MV Al Bakhira was arrested after a raid in the Chitalmari area of Bagerhat on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that Akash Mondal, also known as Irfan, a crew member of the ship, had killed the seven staff members by poisoning their food with sleeping pills and then attacking them with a machete.
Irfan worked alongside the ship's pilot in the engine room.
The suspect was apprehended by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Chitalmari, Bagerhat.
Lieutenant Colonel Munim Ferdous, Director of RAB’s Law and Media Department, confirmed the details of the arrest.
He said that Irfan had been frustrated with his lack of salary and mistreatment, and this anger led him to murder the ship’s master, Golam Kibria, and the other crew members by poisoning their food and then killing them with a machete.
RAB conducted the raid and arrested Irfan on Tuesday night.
The details of the incident were shared by Major Mohammad Sakib Hossain, Deputy Commander of RAB-11, during a briefing in the Shaktala area of Comilla.
A RAB official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that after the murders, Irfan had taken five mobile phones belonging to the victims, including those of the ship’s master Golam Kibria and a severely injured crew member, Sukani Jewel.
RAB began a shadow investigation and, with the help of technology, located Irfan’s whereabouts.
During his arrest, Irfan initially denied the crime, but when investigators found the victims’ mobile phones in his possession, he began to confess.
The RAB officer further explained that they were surprised to learn that one person had killed seven individuals.
Irfan was interrogated at least 12 times, and each time, he provided consistent details about the crime.
The information he provided was cross-checked, confirming its accuracy.
For instance, he mentioned purchasing sleeping pills from a specific shop, and RAB verified this information by sending a team to the location.
Additionally, he had claimed to have fled on a boat after buying supplies, and again, RAB sent a team to confirm this.
All of Irfan’s statements were corroborated.
During his arrest, RAB seized gloves, a bag, empty packaging of sleeping pills, a total of seven mobile phones (five belonging to the victims and two of Irfan’s own), and a pair of bloodstained blue jeans.
The jeans were found to be the ones Irfan wore during the killings.
According to RAB’s findings, Irfan had purchased the sleeping pills from a market in Pabna while the ship was docked there.
He also mentioned that the Chinese machete used in the murders had been kept on the ship for security purposes.
The night before the killings, Irfan had secretly mixed sleeping pills into the crew’s dinner while the ship’s cook was unaware.
After the crew fell unconscious from the drugs, Irfan, wearing gloves, used the machete to murder the victims, including the ship’s master.
