All seven accused involved in the killing of Jhenaidah-4 MP Anwarul Azim Anar have been arrested, though the motive behind the murder remains undetermined, Additional Commissioner (DB) of the DMP, Harun-or-Rashid said on Thursday.
“There are motives, of course. All possible causes are being investigated. I hope it will come out who benefits financially and politically,” he said during a press briefing at the DB office.
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Following the murder, DB quickly apprehended the case's mastermind, Shimul Bhuiya. Additional arrests include Tanvir and Celesty Rahman, who confessed before the court under section 164.
Two more suspects, Foysal Bhuiya and Mostafizur, were also arrested. They had taken refuge at a temple between Fatikchhari and Sitakunda upazilas in Chattogram district, disguising themselves as Hindu devotees, to avoid arrest.
“A team of DB police went to the Sundarbans and Jhenaidah while two more teams were in Khagrachhari, Bandarban, Fatikchhari, and Sitakunda to arrest them,” said Rashid.
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Detailing the murder plot, Rashid explained that on May 13, MP Anar left the residence of his friend Gopal; Foysal was waiting in front of Kolkata Public School. Foysal then took Anar to Shimul. At Kolkata Sanjeeva Garden, Mostafiz and Zihad were waiting along with Foysal, Shimul, and Celesty. Foysal used chloroform to render MP Anar unconscious before murdering him.
The arrested include Shimul, Foysal, Mustafizur, Zihad, Siam, Tanvir, and Celesty. Two other suspects, Awami League leader Mintu and Gas Babu, were also apprehended.
Rashid identified Akhteruzzaman Shaheen as the mastermind behind the killing. "Shaheen is still considered the mastermind as he rented the Kolkata flat using his passport. He returned to Bangladesh on May 10 but is currently in the USA," he said.
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When asked about the equipment used in the murder, Rashid noted that the killers purchased a chair worth Tk 17,000 and chloroform. Mustafizur and Foysal directly participated in the killing and, following Shaheen's directives, took shelter in Dhaka’s Bashundhara. They were later given Tk 30,000.
Subsequently, they fled to the Khagrachhari forest and a Sitakunda temple, turning off their phones and living as Hindu devotees to evade arrest.