Take me to the showroom—everything will come to light, motorcycle owner tells the court

Mohammad Abdul Hannan, the owner of the motorcycle used in the attempted murder of Sharif Osman bin Hadi, claimed before the court that he had sold the motorcycle.

To prove this, he said, he had requested the RAB and the police to take him to the showroom (sales outlet), but they did not do so.

Osman Hadi, convener of the Inqilab Moncho, had announced his intention to contest the Dhaka-8 constituency as an independent candidate.

Last Friday, while returning from a public outreach programme in the Motijheel area, he was shot at 2:24 pm while riding in a moving battery-powered rickshaw on Box Culvert Road in Purana Paltan. Osman Hadi, who is undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital, remains in critical condition.

Law enforcement agencies have not yet been able to arrest the suspects involved in the shooting of Osman Hadi. Last night, RAB detained Mohammad Abdul Hannan, the owner of the motorcycle used by the assailants to shoot him, from the Mohammadpur area of the capital.

After showing his arrest under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, police produced Hannan before the court on Sunday. Sub-Inspector Samim Hasan of Paltan Police Station sought a seven-day remand for questioning him. The hearing on the remand application was held before Magistrate Didarul Alam of the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court.

On behalf of the state, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruqi told the court that the Honda motorcycle used in the attempted murder of Osman Hadi had been shown in various media reports.

The motorcycle bore a nameplate, and after verifying ownership information, the investigating officer and the police identified Abdul Hannan as the owner. To uncover the mystery of the attempted murder, it is necessary to examine what connection, if any, exists between the shooters and the owner of the Honda. For this reason, he said, the accused needs to be placed on remand.

Omar Faruk Faruqi further said, “The entire nation is anxious today. An election is approaching. MP candidates and political leaders are facing threats. The whole nation is now looking to see this mystery resolved. It must be uncovered—for the future of the country, for the nation, and for the election.”

Later, with the court’s permission, the accused Abdul Hannan stood in the dock and said, “After my arrest, I told RAB to take me to the showroom—then the truth would come out. But they did not take me. After being brought to the police station, I also asked the police to take me to the showroom. I told them to investigate; everything would be revealed.”

Hannan said, “I bought this Honda from Mirpur Mazar Road. However, due to a problem with my hand, my family advised me not to ride the bike, so it remained unused at home. Thinking that the bike would get damaged if left unused, I sold it to a showroom and told them I would arrange the transfer of ownership. They called me two months ago, but I could not go to complete the ownership transfer because I was ill.”

Hannan had no lawyer representing him in court. After the hearing, the court granted him a three-day remand.