No specific information on whether Faisal Karim is in the country or abroad

Additional Inspector General (crime and operations) Khondaker Rafiqul Islam has said that law enforcement agencies have no information about the last known whereabouts of Faisal Karim Masud, the main accused in the murder case of Shaheed Sharif Osman bin Hadi, convener of Inqilab Moncho.

He said there is no specific information on whether Faisal Karim has crossed the border of Bangladesh or is still inside the country. However, investigating officers are making their best efforts, and various pieces of information about the suspect are being received.

The Additional IGP of police shared this information at a press conference on Sunday afternoon in the conference room of the Ministry of Home Affairs at the secretariat. The press conference, held at 5:30 pm, was organised to brief the media on the progress of Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2 and the overall law and order situation in the country.

Usually, such press briefings at the Ministry of Home Affairs are conducted by the home affairs adviser, retired Lieutenant General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. However, neither the home affairs adviser nor home secretary Nasimul Ghani was present at today’s briefing.

On Saturday, Inqilab Moncho gave the home affairs adviser and the chief adviser’s special assistant Khoda Baksh Chowdhury 24 hours to show progress in arresting the killers of Sharif Osman bin Hadi. The organisation demanded their resignation if no response was provided within the stipulated time.

In this context, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ public relations officer announced an emergency press conference in the afternoon.
At the briefing, representatives from the police, RAB, DB, and BGB shared updates on the progress of the Osman Hadi murder case. Those present included Additional IGP Rafiqul Islam; AIG (Media and Publications) at Police Headquarters AHM Shahadat Hossain; Director of RAB’s Legal and Media Wing Wing Commander MZM Intekhhab Chowdhury; DMP Additional Commissioner (detective) Shafiqul Islam; BGB Mymensingh Sector Commander Colonel Md Mostafizur Rahman; and DMP Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) SN Md Nazrul Islam.

DMP additional commissioner (detective) Shafiqul Islam said they have no specific information about the main accused in the Osman Hadi murder case. Various types of information are coming in from different sources, but there is no confirmation on whether the accused is still in the country or has gone abroad. When asked about the motive behind the murder, he said the investigation is ongoing and it is not yet known. So far, 10 people have been arrested in connection with the case. He added that the motive may be political rather than personal.

In response to a question about a media person sharing a photo of the main accused on social media claiming he had fled to a neighboring country, DB official Shafiqul Islam said they had also seen the photo, but it could not be confirmed that it was taken in India.

Asked whether he sees any failure on the part of law enforcement agencies in the incident, Additional IGP Rafiqul Islam said the police, RAB, DB, and BGB are all making efforts. Sometimes suspects are arrested quickly after an incident, while in other cases it takes longer. He said efforts are ongoing to locate the accused, giving the highest priority to public demand.

Regarding the spread of misleading information about Faisal Karim, the police official said they are verifying such information and that action against those spreading rumors is under consideration. When asked whether the accused has any political affiliation, he said the matter is under investigation.

BGB Mymensingh Sector Commander Colonel Md Mostafizur Rahman said that in this murder case, the name “Philip” has repeatedly surfaced as a suspected trafficker of the suspects. There is information that he is involved in human trafficking.

The BGB official said, “We have deployed our full strength primarily to arrest Philip. This is still ongoing. We are conducting various intelligence operations, using every possible tool to arrest him.”

Sharif Osman bin Hadi, the face of the July mass uprising and spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho, was campaigning as an independent candidate in the Dhaka-8 constituency. On 12 December, while returning from campaigning in the Motijheel area, he was shot by assailants from a motorcycle on Box Culvert Road in Purana Paltan. After six days of treatment, he died on 18 December at a hospital in Singapore.

Law enforcement agencies have identified Faisal Karim Masud, a former Chhatra League leader, as the main suspect in the shooting of Osman Hadi. Investigators had earlier said they believed Faisal Karim had crossed the border and fled to India. Although 10 people, including Faisal Karim’s parents, wife, and brother-in-law, have been arrested in connection with the incident, law enforcement officials have so far been unable to provide any concrete information about his whereabouts.