PBI will talk to Babul’s son

The Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) will talk to Babul Akter’s son regarding the Mahmuda Khanam Mitu murder case. The boy is an eyewitness of the incident.

On 5 June, 2016, the wife of the then superintendent of police (SP) Babul Akter, was shot and stabbed to death in GEC area in Chattogram while she was going to see off her son for school.

The investigating officer of the case, Santosh Kumar Chakma told Prothom Alo on Friday that Babul Akter is now in police custody on a five-day remand. At the end of remand, PBI will talk to the Babul’s son. His statement as an eyewitness is important in this case. Police had spoken to the boy before.

Police said, according to the latest developments in the investigation, the miscreants first hit Mitu with the motorcycle they were riding. They stabbed and shot her to dead after she fell to the ground. Mitu’s 7-year-old son tried to save his mother, but Babul’s informant Kamrul Islam alias Musa held him back.

Two accused in the case filed by Babul Akter over this incident, Wasim and Anwar, gave confessional statements before court. They also gave the same description of the incident in their statement.

PBI investigators said Babul Akter is worried about his children. However, in the first two days of remand, he did not disclose much about the incident. He was somewhat unresponsive. Babul said his 'nerves' were strong. So far, he has not shown any inclination to make a confessional statement as an accused in his wife’s murder case. He is hardly talking.

Earlier on Wednesday PBI submitted the final report of the first case filed over the incident. Investigating officer Santosh Kumar Chakma said in the report that he examined the evidence, testimonials, results of previous investigations, various signs, CCTV footage, inquest and autopsy report, ballistic test of weapons and statements of the accused and witnesses, the recovered motorcycle and CDR and found evidence of Babul’s involvement in his wife’s murder. He orchestrated an imaginary incident of militant attack to save himself.

However, Al-Qaeda linked militant outfit Ansar Al Islam denounced the allegations when they were being accused of killing Mitu. They even condemned the killing and discarded the allegations against them in a statement. Ansar Al Islam claimed the liability of most of the assassinations they carried out in 2016. But that was the first incident they condemned.

After his wife’s death, Babul Akter went to Chattogram from Dhaka and filed a case with the Panchlaish police station as plaintiff. After a long delay in the case, on 4 February this year, the High Court directed the investigations to be carried out without further delay.

About five years after the death of Mitu, PBI submitted the final report of the first case filed over this incident last Wednesday. On the same day, Mitu’s father Mosharraf Hossain filed a case in connection with his daughter’s murder. Babul is the prime suspect in this case and is now in police custody on a five-day remand in that case.

A few months after his wife’s death, Babul was forced to quit his job after he was interrogated by police. Later, he got a job in a private company. The people close to the former SP told Prothom Alo that Babul started a new business recently.

*This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ashish Basu