Prime suspect says they went to UNO’s residence for 'robbery'

Prime suspect in the attack on Ghoraghat upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Wahida Khanam told RAB that they went to the UNO’s residence to reportedly commit robbery.

Reza Ahmed Ferdous, commander of Rapid Action Battalion-13, disclosed this at a press briefing at RAB-13 office in Rangpur.

Reza said prime accused Asadul Islam claimed that another accused Nabirul Islam attacked the UNO.

Wahida Khanam and her freedom fighter father Omar Ali Sheikh were critically injured in a hammer attack by miscreants early Thursday.

The officer, however, said they are yet to reach in a conclusion about the motive of the gruesome attack, and RAB will continue the investigation.

RAB-13 commander also said Jubo League leader Jahangir Hossain detained over the incident has been released after interrogation.

A joint team of RAB and police detained Jahangir Hossain, 42, and Asadul Islam, 35, on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, physicians at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital in Dhaka’s Agargaon said Wahida cannot recall the incident of the attack, but she can respond after regaining consciousness.

Wahida was airlifted to the hospital on Thursday.

“Wahida can’t recall anything about the incident of the attack," the hospital’s joint director Badrul Alam told Prothom Alo on Friday evening.

Earlier on Friday morning, physician Zahed Hossain, who performed the surgery on Wahida, told Prothom Alo that she sustained at least nine head injuries. The skull bone that was broken and lodged inside her head was removed during the surgery.

She regained consciousness around 1:30am on Friday, the physician said adding that the right side of Wahida’s body is still numb and it may take time to recover.