Police arrested three employees of a bus company, including its driver, over the murder of a man whose body was recovered from the Dhaka Elevated Expressway in the capital’s Banani area, police said on Sunday.
The arrestees were identified as bus driver Sohel Rana, 41, supervisor Saju alias Limon, 26, and helper Md Monir Hossain, 19. They are employees of Raj Classic Paribahan.
The trio allegedly killed Ismail Hossain, 50, after the supervisor noticed a large amount of cash in the folds of the victim’s lungi while collecting his fare. The suspects allegedly took about Tk 250,000 from him and dumped his body on the expressway.
DMP Joint Commissioner (Crime) Md Faruk Hossain disclosed the details at a press conference at the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road on Sunday.
Police said they recovered Ismail’s body from the airport-bound lane of the expressway near the stadium in Banani around 8:45am on Friday (Sept 4). His mouth and both hands were bound with scotch tape, while there were dark marks around his neck.
The victim was identified through fingerprint verification. His family later confirmed his identity after seeing his photograph at the police station. His son subsequently filed a murder case with Banani Police Station.
Police said Ismail was travelling from his village in Jamalpur to Kashimpur in Gazipur with Tk 500,000 from the sale of land. His son Hasan was waiting for him at Jirani bus stand but became worried after finding his father’s mobile phone switched off.
According to police, CCTV footage from the elevated expressway showed suspicious movements of a bus. After reviewing the footage, police seized a Raj Classic bus from Mohakhali bus stand and arrested Saju and Monir. Sohel was later arrested in a separate drive.
Police said that Ismail boarded the bus at Dighpaik bus stand in Jamalpur around 4:30am. When the supervisor asked for the fare, Ismail took money from his lungi, drawing Saju’s attention to the cash.
Saju allegedly told the driver that Ismail was carrying a large amount of money and might be a businessman. The two then allegedly planned to rob him.
Police said Ismail was not dropped at Chandura bus stand as planned. After other passengers were dropped at different locations in Gazipur, the bus continued towards Dhaka with Ismail inside.
The supervisor and helper allegedly tied Ismail’s hands and mouth with scotch tape and later used a towel around his neck to ensure his death. After confirming his death, they allegedly took the bus onto the elevated expressway and dumped his body while returning towards the airport after making a U-turn in the Banani area.
Police said the suspects admitted during initial interrogation to taking around Tk 250,000, although Ismail had been carrying Tk 500,000.
Faruk Hossain said all three arrestees had admitted their involvement in the murder during initial questioning and were being interrogated further.
Police said Ismail had been told to sleep in the bus and that he would be awakened and dropped at his destination. He fell asleep, after which the other passengers were dropped off and the alleged murder plan was carried out.