Former police superintendent (SP) Babul Akter planned and financed the murder of her wife, Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, for his extramarital affair, according to a probe report of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI).
The report said he paid Tk 300,000 to a hitman through a source.
The PBI investigation over the killing is at the final stage. A charge sheet has been prepared, accusing seven, including Babul Akter. The PBI is likely to submit it to the court next week.
Mahmuda Khanam Mitu was killed on 5 June 2016 in Chittagong. Miscreants hacked and shot her to death while she was taking her son for school bus in the morning near the GEC intersection in Chattogram city. At that time her husband Babul Akter was in Dhaka.
After the murder, he filed a case against the unidentified persons at the Panchlaish police station in Chattogram. Now, Babul has been made the prime accused in the case.
According to the probe body, the charge sheet has recommended for the acquittal of four people from the lawsuit: Saiful Islam Sikder alias Sakku, Nurunnabi, Md Rashed and Abu Naser. Among them, Nurunnabi and Rashed were killed in a 'gunfight' with police, a few days after Mitu was killed.
Chattogram metropolitan sessions judge court public prosecutor Md Fakhruddin Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that "the conjugal relationship between Babul Akter and his wife deteriorated as Mahmuda came to know that Babul has an extramarital affair. Following that he hired a hitman for Tk 300,000 to kill Mahmuda. The whole scenario of killing unearthed in the PBI investigation and the testimonies of witnesses and accused."
"I have agreed with the probe report and opined to submit it to the court," he said.
According to the PBI investigation, Ehteshamul, in his statement before a court on 23 October last year, said Kamrul Shikdar killed Mahmuda on Babul's orders. Babul had also threatened to kill him in 'crossfire' if he did not follow the order.
Kamrul has been 'missing' since the incident. He remained untraced despite hectic efforts of police. However, his wife Panna Akter claimed that Kamrul went missing after the police picked him up.
Earlier in 2016, Wasim and Anwar gave statements before the court where they claimed that they killed Mahmuda on order of Kamrul.
According to the PBI investigation, Babul asked his business partner Saiful Haque to pay him Tk 300,000 from his share of profit, three days after the murder of his wife.
Saiful sent the money to Gazi Al Mamun through Bkash who later distributed it among the accused, including Ehtesham and Wasim. Saiful and Mamun disclosed this in their confessional statements before the court on 11 May last year.
In the charge sheet, the PBI said Babul had a relationship with a female official of an international development organisation when he was the additional superintendent of police of Cox's Bazar district from 2013 to 2014.
Sarwar Alam, security guard of the female official’s residence, and Pompi Barua, her housekeeper, gave statements before the Chattogram chief metropolitan magistrate's court on 19 January. They both mentioned Babul's regular commute to the woman's residence in Cox's Bazar.
PBI seized a book as evidence that the woman gifted Babul. The book was verified thoroughly and Babul’s handwriting was found there. The writings contain various information including their introduction and meet up.
Inspector Abu Jafar Md Omar Faruk, investigation officer of the case, said Babul and six others have been accused in the charge sheet while 97 people have been made witnesses. They will press the charges before the court next week.
Mosharraf Hossain, a former police officer and father of Mahmuda, extended his support to the PBI investigation. He said Babul used to torture his daughter frequently due to the extra-marital affair with the woman. They held family arbitrations regarding the issue.