Anwarul Azim murder: Photographs of dead body sent to AL leader

Jhenaidah district Awami League leader Kazi Kamal
Collected

After murder of MP Anwarul Azim, photographs of his dead body were sent via WhatsApp to Kazi Kamal Ahmed alias Babu, the relief and social welfare secretary of the Jhenaidah district Awami League.

Before being murdered in a flat in Kolkata, lawmaker Anwarul Azim was administered an anaesthetic. He was then smothered with a pillow. Later, the killers took photographs of him after removing his clothes.

Sources related to the investigation by Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB) have revealed this information.

According to these sources, the extremist leader Shimul Bhuiyan sent the pictures of the murdered MP to Awami League leader Kamal after the murder.

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Shimul was involved in executing the murder plan. He confessed to the crime in a deposition to the Dhaka court last week.

The DB’s investigation sources said that the photograph was sent to Kamal mainly to convey the message of the MP’s murder to a senior leader of Jhenaidah district Awami League.

Kamal was also told that the nomination of that leader from the Jhenidah-4 constituency is now confirmed.

The investigative sources suggest two possible reasons behind sending the photograph to Kamal.

First, the murderers might have wanted to divert the motive of Anwarul murder, and give it a garb of political conflict.

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Secondly, influential Awami League leaders in the Jhenidah-Jashore-Khulna region might have been aware of the murder.

The DB sources said that besides Kazi Kamal, the name of another leader from the Jhenaidah district Awami League came during interrogation of Shimul Bhuiyan.

The DB in the remand prayers said Kamal’s name appeared in the deposition of Shimul Bhuiyan under article 164 in the court. Shimul returned to the country from Kolkata on 15 May and made contact with Kamal over phone the following day. The two met at Faridpur’s Bhanga on 17 May where they discussed on that picture and transaction of money

Meanwhile, DB has taken Kazi Kamal to seven-day remand through a court order on Sunday in the Anwarul Azim murder case.

The DB in the remand prayers said Kamal’s name appeared in the deposition of Shimul Bhuiyan under article 164 in the court. Shimul returned to the country from Kolkata on 15 May and made contact with Kamal over phone the following day. The two met at Faridpur’s Bhanga on 17 May where they discussed on that picture and transaction of money.

Aktaruzzaman alias Shahin, the mastermind of the murder, is cousin of Kamal. DB sources said Aktaruzzaman gave Shimul the mobile phone number of Kazi Kamal before the lawmaker was murdered.

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The Jhenaidah-4 lawmaker was killed in Kolkata on 13 May. DB has so far found involvement of 12 persons with the killing. Aktaruzzaman, who has been identified as the mastermind behind the killing, left Dhaka for Delhi on 20 May.

Afterwards, he went to Kathmandu and later to the USA via Dubai, learnt the DB sources. Among other accused, Md Siam Hossain was arrested in Nepal and currently under police custody in Kolkata. Another accused ‘butcher’ Jihad Hawlader was also arrested in Kolkata.

Four people so far arrested in Dhaka are Shimul Bhuiyan, his nephew Tanvir Bhuiyan, Silasti Rahman and Kazi Kamal. The first three of the accused confessed to their crimes to the court. The absconded accused are Mustafizur Rahman, Faisal Ali Saji, Chelsea Cherry alias Ariya, Taz Mohammad Khan alias Haji and Md Jamal Hossain.

Bones recovered from a canal in South 24 Parganas

DB police and Kolkata police said Anwarul Azim’s body was dismembered after the murder. Jihad and Siam were instrumental in hiding the parts of the body. Following Jihad’s arrest, the investigators searched Bagjola canal in Kolkata on several occasions for the parts of the body. But nothing was recovered.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Kolkata police conducted a search operation at a Bhangar canal in South 24 Parganas and recovered some bones from there, said the officials Sunday. The operation was carried out following the information provided by Siam Hossain.

The CID officials in a statement further said a forensic test of the bones will be conducted.

A team of Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) experts, who were present at the scene, said apparently those were human bones recovered from the southeast side of Bagjola canal in Bhangar.

DB sources said police are yet to ascertain if the flesh recovered from septic tank of the flat in Kolkata was Anwarul Azim’s. Kolkata police is yet to make any contact with Anwarul’s daughter Mumtarin Ferdous for DNA sampling. Mumtarin has taken an Indian visa.

Two senior officials of DMP told Prothom Alo yesterday that the person whose names appeared during interrogation of the accused are under watch.

*This report, originally published in Prothom Alo print and online editions, has been rewritten in English by Galib Ashraf