Rab arrests 3 suspects

Rab personnel yesterday detained three more persons in Chapainawabganj for their alleged links with the killing of Japanese national Kunio Hoshi.

During primary interrogation, all three arrestees, who are from Rangpur, admitted their involvement in the murder, Lt Col Mahabub Alam, commanding officer of Rab-5 in Rajshahi, told reporters.

They are Rajib Hossain Sumon, 25, Nawshad Hossain Rubel, 27, and Kajal Chandra Barman, 25.

Rapid Action Battalion said it recovered a pistol, a revolver, two bullets, a magazine and a machete from them.

Sixty-six-year-old Hoshi was gunned down on the way to his farmland at Alutari in Rangpur on October 3.

On the same day, law enforcers detained two persons -- Humayun Kabir Hira and Rashed-un-Nabi Khan Biplob -- in connection with the killing. They were later shown arrested in the murder case.

At the briefing at a Rab camp yesterday, Mahabub claimed the trio went into hiding after the Hoshi killing, and changed locations to avert arrest.

He, however, did not say when the three suspects travelled to Chapainawabganj.

The Rab official said Sumon was accused in eight murder cases, Kajal in five and Rubel in two in Rangpur.

Rab handed them over to Sadar Model Police Station in the afternoon and filed a case against them under the Arms Act.

The three were later produced before Chapainawabganj Judicial Magistrate's Court that sent them to jail.

Mahabub said a team of Rab-5 went to Satnoil area in Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila around 1:20am on information that some criminals carrying illegal weapons had gathered there.

The Rab men detained Sumon for his suspicious movement there and seized a pistol and a magazine from him.

Acting on his statement, the elite force conducted a drive in Bidirpur area two hours later and detained Nawshad and Kajal with a revolver and a machete.

THEY ARE INNOCENT: FAMILIES

Sumon's father Md Hanif told The Daily Star that his son had been involved with Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, the youth front of the BNP, a few years ago.

Quoting his daughter-in-law Samiya Akter Labanya, he said several plainclothes men identifying themselves as Rab members intercepted Sumon and his wife at Hajirhat of Rangpur while the couple was returning from Dinajpur on a motorbike around 11:00am on October 6.

When they tried to force Sumon into a microbus, locals protested it. They then showed their identity cards and took Sumon with them and left the place hurriedly.

In an interview with TV channel ATN Bangla, Sumon's mother said, "I know that he [Sumon] is innocent. He was at home on that day [October 3]."

Another detainee, Rubel, was picked up from his father-in-law's house in College para area of Rajshahi city on October 11, claimed his cousin Md Imran.

Rubel, an activist of Jatiya Party's youth wing Jubo Shanghati, had been staying in the city for the last three months, said Imran adding that his cousin ran cable network business.

Talking to our Rangpur correspondent, Babul Chandra Barman, father of the other arrestee Kajal, said his son was not involved with any political party.

He said Kajal was accused in eight cases for snatching and theft.

Kajal's sister Golapi Roy Lata told BBC Bangla that plainclothes men picked up her brother from Rangpur court premises on October 5 after he had appeared before it in connection with a case.

She claimed the allegation of Kajal's involvement in the Hoshi murder was absolutely false.

"We filed a general diary with Sadar Police Station on October 8. Police told us that they would look into the matter but did not say anything since then."

Lata said she learnt about her brother's arrest from a news report on TV.