Police identify armed assailants but fail to find them

Police have failed to arrest any of the armed assailants involved in the public shooting of Jubo Dal leader Masudul Haque Chowdhury, 45 in Raozan, Chattogram, even seven days after the incident.

The victim’s relatives have expressed frustration over the lack of progress. Police, however, say that they have identified the gunmen and continue operations to apprehend them.

On 15 June, two days after the killing, the victim’s elder brother, Peyarul Haque Chowdhury, filed a case with Raozan police station.

The complaint named 11 individuals, including Mohammad Raihan, described as an associate of fugitive criminal Sajjad Ali Khan, who is currently abroad, along with his associates Mohammad Ilias, Mohammad Mobarak, Didarul Alam and Mohammad Yusuf. The complaint also named eight unidentified suspects.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Ilias and Didarul first opened fire on Masudul Haque. Yusuf, Zahed and Absar then ran towards him and fired several more rounds.

The crime scene lies only a few hundred yards from the office of the assistant superintendent of police for the Raozan–Rangunia Circle. CCTV footage clearly captured the faces of most of the five attackers involved in the killing, although one wore a black mask.

Gunmen shot and killed Masudul Haque Chowdhury in broad daylight at Chowmuhani Bazar in Pahartali Union, Raozan, at around 1:30 pm on 13 June. He served as Senior Joint Convener of Rangunia upazila Jubo Dal, the neighbouring sub-district unit of the organisation.

His elder brother, Peyarul Haque Chowdhury, is a former chairman of Betagi Union Parishad in Rangunia. Family members said that Masudul had been preparing to contest the next Union Parishad chairman election.

Police believe that a dispute over control of sand extraction operations in the Karnaphuli River led to the murder.

Police said that Raihan, one of the accused, is a close associate of Chattogram-based criminal Sajjad Ali, also known as “Boro Sajjad”. Authorities have filed more than 15 cases against Raihan, including murder and other serious offences, in both the city and district.

Members of Raihan’s criminal group allegedly carried out the killing. Police identified those involved after reviewing CCTV footage. Three of the assailants carried pistols, while two carried shotguns.

Police records show that Ilias faces 18 cases, including five murder cases. Yusuf faces four cases at Raozan police station, including two murder cases. Police also reported that Didar, Zahed and Abchar face multiple cases at different police stations.

CCTV footage shows Masudul Haque running while armed men chased him. He suddenly collided with a motorcycle parked in front of a shop at Chowmuhani Bazar in Pahartali and fell to the ground.

The attackers then fired repeatedly at him. After the first round of shooting, they began to leave but returned 40 to 50 seconds later and fired again instead of getting into their vehicle.

They subsequently fled the scene in a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw. Although the attack occurred in broad daylight in a busy market, no one intervened.

Peyarul Haque Chowdhury, the complainant and elder brother of the deceased, told Prothom Alo, “A week has passed, yet police have not arrested any of the armed assailants who carried out the attack in public. Will I ever receive justice for my brother’s murder? The authorities must also identify those who sent the gunmen.”

When asked about the arrests, Officer-in-Charge Saiful Islam of Raozan police station said that police were continuing operations to apprehend the attackers.

He told Prothom Alo, “We are conducting operations in both the hilly and plain areas to arrest the gunmen. We have already arrested two individuals. We will seek remand to question them further.”

According to sources within the law enforcement agencies, 25 murders have taken place in Raozan since the fall of the Awami League government following the student-led mass uprising on 5 August 2024.

Political rivalries accounted for 18 of those killings. During the same period, more than 100 incidents of gunfights and violent clashes occurred, leaving over 350 people injured, including many who sustained gunshot wounds.