Two of the accused shown arrested in the new case

Mahmuda Khanam Mitu
File photo

Two accused in the new case filed over the killing of former Superintendent of Police (SP) Babul Akter’s wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu have been shown arrested. They are Md Wasim and Md Anwar.

Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Sarwar Jahan passed the order after hearing a petition filed by the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) on Sunday at noon.

On 5 June, 2016, Mitu was shot and stabbed to death at the GEC junction in Chattogram while she was going to see off her son for school.

After his wife’s death Babul Akter filed a case with the Panchlaish police station accusing three unidentified persons. Babul was working as the SP at the Police Headquarters in Dhaka after being transferred from Chattogram.

The Mitu muder case took a new turn as Babul Akter was interrogated at the office of the detective branch (DB) of police on 24 June 2016. After that, news spread at the time that Babul Akter was involved in his wife’s murder. On 6 September same year, the home ministry issued a circular saying that Babul had been dismissed from service upon his request.

Three weeks after the death of Mitu, police arrested two accused, Md Wasim and Md Anwar. They gave confessional statements before court. They said in their statement that a group of 7-8 people led by Kamrul Sikder alias Musa took part in the murder. Musa worked as the informant of Babul when he was posted in Chattogram. However, police could not trace him.

After DB police, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) took over the case in May, 2020. The court, on its own initiative, directed the PBI to investigate the case.

PBI submitted the final report to the court on Wednesday. On the same day, Babul’s father-in-law filed a case against eight people including Babul with the Panchlaish police station. Babul is now in police custody on a five-day remand in that case.

Santosh Kumar Chakma, inspector of PBI Chattogram and investigating officer in the case, appealed to show the two accused in the case arrested on Wednesday. The court set Sunday as the day of hearing.