Shahidul Islam, father-in-law of slain Narayanganj city panel mayor Nazrul Islam, claimed on Monday that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) helped prime accused of the recent seven-murder case Nur Hossain to flee to India’s Paschimbanga capital Kolkata.
Shahidul came up with the allegation while talking to reporters at his residence in Narayanganj in the wake of the interview of a RAB official in a newspaper where
the official said that investigation was going on whether Shahidul was involved anyhow in the killings.
The interview of RAB additional director-general Colonel Ziaul Ahsan was published in a national daily on Sunday where he claimed that Hossain was staying in Kolkata and he had fled the country three days into the killings.
The RAB official said that efforts were under way to bring Hossain back to the country and that all mysteries would revel once he was arrested.
The official of the elite force further said that they were investigating whether Nazrul Islam’s father-in-law Shahidul Islam was involved in the murders.
Asked about his allegation, Shahidul said: “It’s now being clear that the RAB officials are directly involved in the seven-murder case.”
“Despite widespread allegations, the three accused RAB officials aren’t being arrested. Even after the High Court directive, they aren’t being arrested. It’s now clear that the RAB is trying to save the skin of its three accused officials.”
Narayanganj city councillor Nur Hossain, also Siddhirganj Upazila unit Awami League vice-president, is the prime accused in the case filed in connection with the abduction and killing of city councillor Nazrul Islam, senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and five others.
Nazrul and his four aides, senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and his driver were abducted almost at the same time on 27 April after they left the court area by two cars in Narayanganj.
Six bodies, including that of Nazrul and Chandan, were found floating in the Shitalakkhya river three days later, and another was found the following day.
On 4 May, Nazrul’s father-in-law Shahidul Islam alleged that some RAB men had abducted and murdered the Narayanganj city councillor in exchange for Tk 6 crore. He claimed that some workers saw RAB men abducting Nazrul near Shibu Market in Narayanganj on 27 April.
The government on 6 May dismissed three officials of RAB-11 from the services for their alleged involvement in the abduction and killing of seven people.
