21 get bail at court but police cannot arrest them

Twenty one accused in a murder case secured bail from the chief metropolitan magistrate's court in Dhaka after surrendering to it on Monday although police could not arrest any of them 14 days after the murder.

Kamruzzaman aka Dukhu, younger brother of Jahangir Alam, chairman of Badda’s Beraid union parishad in Dhaka, was killed in an alleged gun battle between supporters of a ruling Bangladesh Awami League MP and the union parishad chairman on 22 April.

The court of Md Khurshid Alam also sent three accused - Farukh Ahmed, Aiyub Ansari and Maruf Ahmed - to jail in connection with the murder case.

Main accused Farukh Ahmed is a nephew of the MP, Rahmatullah, while Maruf is a cousin of Farukh Ahmed.

Expressing his astonishment, plaintiff Jahangir Alam told Prothom Alo, “Those who are specifically charged with murder got bail but police could not make any arrest!”

The Badda police station officer-in-charge Kazi Wazed Ali, however, claimed they have been trying hard to arrest the accused.

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and detective branch (DB) of police also have conducted drives to arrest the accused, he said.

Court sources said police arrested two, whose names are not on the charge sheet. Currently, they are in jail.

CMM court’s chief public prosecutor Abdullah Abu said he did not know about the bail of so many murder accused as he could not go to the court on Monday due to illness.

He said he would take necessary actions after checking the matter on Tuesday.

Defence lawyer Abu Sayeed said he told the court that there was no specific charge against any of the accused included in the charge sheet.

The case statement said accused Aiyub Ansari opened fire from a shotgun aiming Kamruzzaman. Bullet-hit Kamruzzaman tried to flee the scene. But, Mohsin Kabir opened fire aiming the head of Kamruzzaman with an intention to kill him. The victim then fell down. Then, Maruf Ahmed and Emdad Hossain shot at the back of Kamruzzaman.

Plaintiff Jahangir Alam said the accused talked to main accused Farukh Ahmed over mobile phone several times during the shooting. They were repeatedly saying that this [murder] is being done as per the order of Farukh. They have killed one, and others will also be killed.

Police, however, could not seize any weapons used in the murder.

OC Kazi Wazed Ali said the suit has not resolved with the bail of 21 accused. All the weapons used to commit the murder will be seized. Three accused sent to jail will be interrogated and the accused on the run will be arrested.

Earlier, Jahangir Alam alleged that a clash between the MP Rahmatullah and him ensued since January after he had obstructed the MP from making his son a councillor in the elections to Dhaka North City Corporation.

Jahangir also said he and his supporters were being obstructed from doing business and this is why they had filed general diaries.

Murdered Kamruzzaman also filed a GD on 13 April against a few people on charge of obstructing his business, he mentioned.

Jahangir Alam further alleged that the MP bought a piece of land that belonged to a mosque in one-third price of the current market price exerting his influence.

Refuting all those allegations, on 23 April, MP Rahmatullah told Prothom Alo that he lived in his government residence in Gulshan in Dhaka. He claimed that he was an MP for four times but never applied for a government plot since he was not greedy.

And buying a mosque’s land at a lesser price is beyond question, he added.