Journalist murdered in netrokona: Alif was targeted by criminals while investigating border crime

A narrow, brick-paved road leads from the local highway into the village. A three-minute walk along it brings us to Robin Rangsa’s small shop, where he sells tea, biscuits and basic groceries.

Just a short distance from the shop, journalist Lutfozzaman Alif Fakir, 44, was shot dead at around 8:30 pm on 15 October. Robin was at the shop when the shooting took place. Last Friday, he recounted the incident to us.

Robin said Alif had stopped by at around 8 pm that night and bought six cigarettes. He sat at a table in the shop and smoked one before heading to his in-laws’ house nearby. Alif had been living there for about two years. In his haste to leave, he accidentally left his mobile phone on the table.

According to Robin, two other customers arrived and bought cigarettes while Alif was away. One was wearing a lungi, the other three-quarter-length trousers. A short while later, Alif returned to collect his phone and set off for his in-laws’ house again. Almost immediately after he left the shop, Robin heard gunshots.

Robin was washing tea cups when he heard the gunshots. He looked up and saw Alif lying on the ground, with the two men still at the scene. Terrified, Robin retreated into his home behind the shop.

Asked whether he recognised the two men, Robin said he did not. He had never seen them before.

Alif was from Sunai village in Pogla Union, Kalmakanda Upazila, Netrokona. His in-laws lived in Telunjia village in Birishiri Union, Durgapur Upazila. A retired member of the armed forces, Alif worked as the Netrokona correspondent for the IP television channel Ruposhi Bangla. He also ran a Facebook page called Detective Article.

Through his reporting, Alif exposed smuggling, drug trafficking, arms-related activities and other wrongdoing along the border. He regularly published photographs and videos.

According to the police and his family, there had already been two attempts on his life. Fearing for his safety, he had moved to his in-laws’ house. It was there that gunmen eventually killed him. He sustained six bullet wounds to the head, neck and chest.

The day after the murder, his wife, Khadija, filed a case against seven to eight unidentified people. Police say Tajul Islam, 48, and Shamim Ahmed, 32, also known as “Shooter Shamim”, are among the leading suspects. The two men maintain separate networks of associates involved in illegal border trade, though they sometimes work together. Investigators are examining whether they helped plan or finance Alif’s murder and whether they had links to the attackers.

Alif’s in-laws’ house stands about 300 yards from Robin’s shop. After speaking with Robin, we headed there. Alif had lived in a small hut with tin-sheet walls. Among the old furniture and household belongings, a pair of blue trainers stood out. They had faded with years of use. His shirt, denim trousers and blazer had also lost much of their original colour.

Alif’s wife, Khadija Akter, belongs to the Garo community. The two had been in a romantic relationship before their marriage. She converted to Islam when they married; her parents had named her Anondita Sangma.

We found Khadija in the room where she had lived with Alif and their two young children. She told Prothom Alo that she initially did not realise the sound she heard was gunfire. She thought someone had set off firecrackers. Then a neighbour told her that Alif had been shot, and she rushed to the scene.

Khadija said she lifted Alif’s head onto her lap and checked for a heartbeat. Having studied nursing, she understood that her husband was dead. She remained there, sitting beside him, until the police arrived some time later.

As she spoke, Khadija wept. She said the family had planned to move to Dhaka the following month, November. Her mother had even taken out a loan of Tk 40,000 to help them make the move. But Alif died before they could carry out their plans.

Crime Along the Border

Kalmakanda and Durgapur are neighbouring upazilas in Netrokona, both bordering India’s Meghalaya state. Smuggling across the border involves a wide range of goods, including drugs, sugar, cosmetics, blankets, cattle, machinery parts and firearms.

According to police and local sources, Shamim Ahmed controls part of the smuggling trade along the Durgapur border. Tajul, meanwhile, leads a criminal gang accused of extortion, smuggling and other offences.

Both men have been accused of involvement in a range of crimes, including murder, attempted murder, arms offences, drug trafficking, explosives-related offences, kidnapping, extortion, robbery and theft.

At least 25 cases have been identified against Shamim, filed at Durgapur Police Station between 2014 and 2026. Eleven involve charges of attempted murder, and 19 cases remain pending.

Shamim has also been accused in two murder cases. On 8 October, 2022, Subrata Sangma, a former chairman of Kullagora Union Parishad in Durgapur, was killed. His sister filed a case naming Shamim as the main accused. On 4 February, 2024, Shamim was again named as the main accused in the murder of Mojibur Rahman, known as “Dao Mojibur”, from Naljora village in Birishiri Union. The case was filed by Mojibur’s son.

At least 13 cases have been identified against Tajul. Ten were filed at Durgapur Police Station, while one each was filed at Kalmakanda Police Station, Netrokona Sadar Police Station and Darus Salam Police Station in Dhaka. The cases date from 2006 to 2022. Three involve allegations of attempted murder, and four include charges under the Arms Act.

Alif had reported on both Shamim and Tajul on several occasions. At least five people who knew him and were familiar with his work told Prothom Alo that he was determined to expose crime and wrongdoing on Facebook. Threats and pressure were not enough to make him take down his posts.

His Facebook page was one of his main reporting platforms. Khadija said Alif had gathered information about Tajul’s smuggling activities and weapons and passed it on to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). RAB arrested Tajul about four years ago.

Khandaker Shaker Ahmed, officer-in-charge (OC) of Durgapur Police Station, offered an account that partly supported Khadija’s statement. Speaking to Prothom Alo at his office last Friday, he said Alif had collected information about Tajul’s activities and published photographs and videos of his home and property on Facebook. Tajul believed Alif had also informed law enforcement agencies about the weapons he possessed. The resentment this created had led to an earlier attack on Alif, the OC said.

Shamim, too, had featured in Alif’s reporting. According to sources involved in the investigation, about a week before the murder, Alif posted a video that allegedly showed Shamim using yaba. Investigators are looking into whether the video prompted any fresh threats.

On 14 October, the day before his killing, Alif posted a brief message on his Detective Article page announcing that he would reveal evidence about a “godfather” of crime the following day. At 7:28 pm on 15 October, the same page published a 41-second video alleging that a man named Babul had played a role in resettling Rohingya people in Netrokona.

Investigators are examining whether either of these posts had a direct connection to the murder.

More to follow...