United News of Bangladesh

Indian police have arrested two people in Meghalaya for receiving prime suspect Faisla Karim Masud and his accomplice in the sensational murder of Sharif Osman bin Hadi from the Bangladesh border area of the state. The arrestees were identified as Putti and Sami. “Through informal communication with Meghalaya Police, we learned that Putti and Sami have already been arrested,” SN Md Nazrul Islam, additional commissioner (crime and operations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), disclosed this at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre on Sunday. In Haluaghat of Mymensingh district, the accused identified as Philip and Sanjay received Faisal and Alamgir and helped them cross into India’s Meghalaya state. They were later handed over to Putti, who passed them to taxi driver Sami, who took them to Tura town, he said, adding that they unearthed how and who helped the accused flee to India. Law enforcement agencies, including DMP, Detective Branch (DB), Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) began working jointly to identify and arrest those involved following the ‘heinous’ incident, Nazrul said. Using information from witnesses present at the scene, CCTV footage analysis, open-source intelligence and information technology, police identified the shooter as Faisal, alias Rahul, and his accomplice, motorcycle rider Md Alamgir Sheikh, on the day of the incident. Hadi Murder: Charge sheet likely within 10 days The law enforcers immediately conducted raids in Savar, Hemayetpur, Agargaon and Narsingdi to arrest the suspects. As part of the continued operation, a DMP team pursued the suspects up to the border areas of Haluaghat in Mymensingh. Nazrul said efforts are ongoing to bring all those involved to justice. The case has already been handed over to the DMP DB for intensive investigation. The charge sheet of the case will be submitted within the next seven to eight. “So far, we have arrested 11 people, including the two main masterminds involved in planning the incident, those who helped hide the weapons used, and individuals who assisted the accused in fleeing,” he said. The arrestees include Humayun Kabir, father of Faisal; Hasi Begum, his mother; Shahida Parvin Samia, his wife; Wahid Ahmed Shipu, his brother-in-law; Maria Akter Lima, his friend; Mohammad Kabir Nuruzzaman Nomaniya alias Ujjwal; Sibion Dio Sanjay Chisi; Md Aminul Islam Raju; and Abdul Mannan. Meanwhile, six of the arrestees have made confessional statements before the court, he said. Police recovered two foreign-made pistols used in the killing, 52 rounds of ammunition, magazines, the motorcycle used in the crime along with a fake number plate, the autorickshaw that was carrying Hadi at the time of the incident, spent bullet casings, CCTV footage and other evidence. Besides, he said, investigators also seized signed cheques worth Tk 218 crore linked to 53 bank accounts. Charge sheet in Hadi murder case by Jan 7: DMP chief According to the investigation, Faisal and Alamgir fled Dhaka immediately after the incident, first travelling by CNG-run autorickshaw to Aminbazar, then to Kalampur in Manikganj, before reaching Haluaghat by private car as per a pre-planned route. Nazrul said the killing was premeditated, enabling the suspects to cross the border before they could be intercepted. On December 12, assailants shot Hadi in the head during an election campaign event. After receiving initial treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Evercare Hospital, he was airlifted to Singapore for advanced medical care on December 15. Hadi died there on December 18 at around 9:45 pm (local time). The following day, his body was brought back from Singapore and his namaz-e-janaza was held at the South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, with thousands of people in attendance. A case has been filed with Paltan Police Station in connection with the killing.

Indian security forces, acting on intelligence, raided a Maoist rebel hideout in the forests of the eastern Chhattisgarh state on Saturday, triggering a gunbattle that killed five paramilitary troops and one rebel, the state's police said. Senior police officer D.M. Awasthi said hundreds of police and paramilitary soldiers took part in the raid after receiving intelligence that a large number of rebels were gathered in Bijapur district. He said at least 12 security personnel were injured in the four-hour firefight, and authorities were working to evacuate the wounded to hospitals. Awasthi said the body of one female rebel was also recovered. Also read: 17 Indian policemen killed in attack by Maoist rebels The rebels used automatic weapons and grenades during the gunbattle, according to Hemant Kumar Sahu, a paramilitary officer, who spoke with The Associated Press by phone. State-run All India Radio tweeted that at least 20 security personnel were missing after the engagement. Also read: Maoist rebels kill 15 police commandos, driver in west India The Maoist rebels, inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting the Indian government for more than four decades, demanding land and jobs for tenant farmers, the poor and indigenous communities. The government has called the rebels India's biggest internal security threat. Last month, a roadside bomb killed at least four Indian policemen and wounded 14 in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh state as they were returning from an anti-Maoist operation. Also read: Indian Maoist rebels kill 5 days before national election The rebels, also known as Naxalites, have ambushed police, destroyed government offices and abducted officials. They've also blown up train tracks, attacked prisons to free their comrades and stolen weapons from police and paramilitary warehouses to arm themselves.