Top criminal’s aide behind killing: DB

An aide to a top criminal in Dhaka’s underworld allegedly masterminded the killing of Swechchhasebak Dal leader Azizur Rahman Musabbir, according to Detective Branch (DB) officials.

Bilash, also known as Jahidul, who is currently in Malaysia, allegedly hired Md Bilal to carry out the murder, promising Tk 12–15 lakh and to bear all expenses if they were arrested.

Bilal then reportedly executed the plan with the help of two suspected shooters, Zinnat and Rahim, said two DB officials closely involved in the investigation.

So far, four people have been arrested in connection with the murder: Zinnat, 24; Abdul Kadir, 28; Md Reaz, 31; and Md Bilal.

Speaking at a press conference at the DMP Media Centre yesterday afternoon, DMP Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam said the DB conducted extensive operations in Dhaka, Manikganj, Gazipur, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Bhairab and Kishoreganj, leading to the arrests.

Police also recovered the motorcycle used in the killing and seized Tk 6,000 in cash from the arrestees, he said.

The DB chief said Bilal was the main planner of the murder. “We have also arrested his brother Abdul Kadir, who assisted the accused in fleeing after the incident,” he said, adding that another alleged shooter, Rahim, who remains at large, is also Bilal’s brother.

Md Reaz was arrested for “assisting the accused in conducting reconnaissance ahead of the murder,” he added.

Asked about the motive behind the killing, Shafiqul Islam said police are probing all possibilities and that the investigation is still at an initial stage.

“We have not yet been able to recover the weapons used in the crime. However, we have arrested the accused and questioned them. During preliminary interrogation, they have admitted their involvement in the killing,” he said.

He added that police are trying to identify and arrest anyone else involved behind the scenes. “If anyone else played a role in planning or facilitating the crime, they will be brought to justice,” he said, adding that the motive would be clearer after further investigation.

The DB chief further said the accused previously lived in the Mohakhali area and had links with traders or business establishments in the Karwan Bazar area, where Musabbir also had influence.

Police are analysing the call detail records (CDR) of the accused through the Criminal Data Management System (CDMS) to gain a clearer picture, he added.

Police are also examining whether Musabbir’s political activities played a role in the murder. Shafiqul Islam said Musabbir was an emerging and increasingly popular political leader who had once contested a ward councillor election.

“A few days before the killing, he organised a human chain against extortion. Violence broke out during the programme and a case was later filed. These issues are also being examined,” he said.

Addressing reports that Tk 15 lakh was sent from abroad to finance the murder, the additional commissioner said the matter is under investigation. “There are several aspects we are looking into, and this is one of them,” he added.

Musabbir, the former general secretary of the Swechchhasebak Dal’s Dhaka North City unit, was shot dead on January 7 in an alley near Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue. DB sources, however, said the assailants had planned to kill him a day earlier and had gone to the same spot, but failed to carry out the attack.

According to a DB official, Bilal, Ibrahim and Reaz took positions in the alley near the crime scene on January 6 with the intention of carrying out the killing. As per the plan, Reaz was supposed to open fire first, but he did not shoot.

The following day, Reaz was dropped from the plan and Zinnat was hired instead. Zinnat, Bilal and Rahim later carried out the killing.

The official further said Zinnat was promised Tk 3 lakh and a motorcycle for his role. “Immediately after the incident, they rode a motorcycle to Mohakhali’s Ghoramath area and handed over the arms used in the killing to Bilal,” he said.

DB sources said Bilal and Zinnat spent that night at a hotel in Sector 9 of Uttara. They later bought new mobile phones and SIM cards, replacing their old ones.

The next morning, they parted ways, with Zinnat returning to his village home in Kolombeshwar, Gazipur, and Bilal heading to Saturia in Manikganj. DB officials said the money used to purchase the new phones and SIM cards after the killing was provided by Bilal’s younger brother Abdul Kadir.

A total of Tk 1.80 lakh was sent by Kadir to the accused.

The primary investigation suggested that Bilal planned to start a family business with the money promised by Jahidul, an associate of a top criminal in Dhaka’s underworld whose name police have not yet revealed.