Staff Reporter :
The elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained four people, including the suspect mastermind, in connection with the killing of former General Secretary of Motijheel Thana unit of Awami League Jahidul Islam Tipu and college student Samia Afran Prity.
The accused confessed to the double murder and admitted that the murder plan was made in Dubai.
RAB media wing Director Khandker Al Moin said it in a press briefing at its media centre in the city’s Karwanbazar on Saturday noon.
The four arrested are identified as Omar Faruk, mastermind of the murder, Abu Saleh Shikder alias Shutter Saleh, Md Nasir alias Killer Nasir and Md Morshedul Alam alias Kailla Palash. The RAB arrested them from different parts of the capital.
Mastermind Omar Faruk is the general secretary of Ward No. 10 Unit of Awami League under the Dhaka City South Awami League.
It was learnt that Zahidul Islam Tipu was killed over establishing local supremacy. “Tipu had a long standing quarrel with the killers over collecting toll in Motijheel area, tender betting and establishing supremacy.”
According to RAB, AL Milky was killed in front of Gulshan Shoppers World in the capital in 2013. The suspect killers were Milky’s accomplices.
The detainees suspected that AL leader Tipu was involved with Milky’s murder. They also named Tipu in the case of Milky’s murder. But the omission of Tipu’s name from the proceedings provoked an angry reaction in the minds of the arrested. After that they started planning to kill Tipu.
The killers made a deal of worth Tk 15 lakh with underworld don Musa to kill Tipu. Musa went to Dubai 12 days before the murder. He recruited killers from Dubai to kill Tipu. Nasir informed Musa all details of Tipu on the day of the killing.
According to the contract, of the Tk 15 lakh, Musa was given Tk 5 lakh before going to Dubai. Later, four lakh more was given through hundi. The rest 6 lakh will be given after Musa will come in the country. RAB seized taka 3,40,000 from the accused.
Musa is the accomplice of top-listed criminals Prokash-Bikash, police said.
On the night of March 24, Tipu, who was on a microbus, and Samia Afrin Priti, a 22-year-old college student, who was returning home by a rickshaw, were killed in firing in front of Islami Bank Hospital. Tipu’s driver was also injured in the firing.
The next day, a case was filed against unidentified people over the double murder.
On March 27, police arrested Akash, 34, the prime accused in the double murder case from Bogura district. On March 31, a second suspect was arrested by Dhaka Metropolitan Police detectives from the city’s Kamalapur area.
