Staff Reporter :
Even after five days into the killing, police could not yet make any breakthrough in their hunt for the assailants of Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, the slain wife of Superintendent of Police Babul Akhtar.
Meanwhile, six persons including a former Islami Chhatra Shibir activist Abu Nasur Gunnu and a microbus driver identified as Jane Alam have been arrested in connection with the killing. Police Super Babul Akhtar filed a case against three anonymous people with Panchlaish Police Station on June 6.
“We are examining the information extracted from the arrested persons whether they were involved in the gruesome murder,” Devdas Bhattacharya, Additional Commissioner (crime and operation) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) told journalists in a press briefing at the CMP headquarters yesterday.
He said they are interrogating Jane Alam, the driver and owner of the black microbus seen in CCTV footage. The microbus was seen following the motorbike when the assailants left the scene.
Chittagong police suspect that the parked black microbus, seen in the CCTV footage, might have had the backup force for the killing.
“The former Islami Chhatra Shibir activist, arrested on Wednesday in connection with the murder case, was produced before a court with a 10-day remand prayer,” Devdas Bhattacharya said.
“Police produced detained former Islami Chhatra Shibir activist Abu Nasur Gunnu to a court in the port city with a 10-day remand prayer but the judge temporarily sent the suspect to jail asking police to reappear on June 12 along with properly prepared documents,” an official of Metropolitan Magistrate Court in the port city told newsmen.
“The court deferred the remand hearing as the investigation officer did not submit proper documents regarding the matter,” the official said.
Replying to a query, CMP Additional Commissioner Devdas Bhattacharye said SP’s wife Mitu did not receive any text message on her mobile phone that asked her son to be at school half an hour earlier than usual due to assembly.
“We found no such message after examining Mitu’s mobile phone,” Devdas Bhattacharya said.
The CMP examined her mobile phone as the family members claimed that Mitu on the day of her murder received a message over her cell phone, saying that there would be an assembly at her son’s school and so her son should be there half an hour earlier.
However, the school authorities denied sending any such messages.
The CMP additional commissioner said Mitu used to go out of her Nizam Road residence around 7:00am to drop her son at a school bus at GEC intersection but on the fateful morning, she left the house earlier.
On Thursday, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Shahidul Haque said a special team comprising veteran police officers was formed to track down the Mitu’s killers.
Shahidul made the announcement while visiting SP Babul’s Dhaka residence this morning.
Shahidul later told journalists the attack had been carried out to break the morale of the police.
The police chief also said that police families would be provided with security, if needed. He also said the police are combing across the country to weed out the terrorists.
However, Additional DIG Monirul Islam, who is also the Detective Branch joint commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), on Thursday said conspirators at home and abroad are involved in police official’s wife murder.
“Whoever is involved in the killing won’t be spared. The killers will be traced and arrested,” he told journalists at the conference room of DMP media centre.
