Law enforcement agencies have arrested nine out of 15 named suspects in connection with the fatal beating of Special Branch Sub-Inspector Altaf Hossain in Savar’s Aminbazar area, officials said on Sunday.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Savar Model Police conducted separate operations across Munshiganj and Savar to apprehend the suspects following the September 5 killing.
RAB-10 Commander Additional DIG Mohammad Asaduzzaman detailed the arrests during a press briefing at the RAB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar on September 7. He noted that most of the accused were involved in local teenage gangs and illicit narcotics, with several suspects under the influence of drugs during the assault.
Arrests and Operations
According to RAB, the arrests were executed in phases:
- RAB-10 operation: Using tracking technology, RAB-10 arrested Alauddin, 26, Apon, 30, Jihad, 20, and Imran, 26, around 7:30 p.m. on September 6 at a launch terminal in Munshiganj Sadar. Two suspects were detained on a launch, and the other two were caught approximately one kilometre away.
- RAB-4 operation: Later that night, RAB-4 tracked and arrested Noor Mohammad Rudra, 24, Md Rakib Mia, 28, Sabbir Ahmed, 24, and Md Wasim, 40, in Aminbazar.
- Police operation: Earlier on the morning of September 6, Savar Model Police apprehended the primary named accused, car driver Jahirul Islam, 30, in Aminbazar.
Asaduzzaman stated that suspects Apon and Jihad have prior police records, are heavily tied to drug offenses, and reportedly lead local youth gangs. Preliminary investigations revealed at least three drug-related cases pending against Apon.
Details of the Incident
The fatal encounter unfolded between 8:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on September 5 in the Borodeshi area of Aminbazar. Investigators stated the violence was not premeditated and that Hossain was not specifically targeted for his role in law enforcement.
The confrontation began when five occupants of a car engaged in an altercation with an elderly auto-rickshaw garage owner, Abul Kalam Azad, over an auto-rickshaw parked outside his premises. The occupants exited the vehicle and physically assaulted Azad.
Hossain, dressed in plain clothes, attempted to intervene and de-escalate the dispute. The group subsequently turned on him, prompting the officer to flee into his son’s nearby small garment factory, where he locked himself inside.
The initial attackers summoned reinforcements from a local gang, amassing a group of 25 to 30 people who forced open the factory door. Despite Hossain identifying himself as a police officer, the mob assaulted him with various crude weapons, including stainless steel pipes and knives.
RAB reported that Alauddin assaulted Hossain directly, Jihad stabbed him, and Apon struck him on the head with a pipe, while Imran also took part in the beating.
Hossain’s younger son, Ariful, rushed from the rear of the factory upon hearing his father’s cries. The attackers knocked Ariful down and struck him in the head with a hammer, leaving him severely injured. Hossain succumbed to his injuries, while Ariful remains hospitalised.
Source: The Business Standard — https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/crime/9-named-accused-arrested-over-killing-police-officer-savar-1535641
