Mastermind Shahin Had Been Plotting For 3 Months: DB Chief

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Chief (Detective Branch)Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid said that alleged Akhtaruzzaman Shahin, mastermind in the murder of MP Anwarul Azim Anar, had been plotting for three months to kill MP Azim. Before killing operation Shahin, along with his cohorts, held a meeting in a Gulshan or Bashundhara residence and planned to kill MP Azim in Bangladesh but the accused feared they could get caught doing so, DB Chief Harun-or-Rashid said in a press conference today (23 May).

They later chose Kolkata to execute their plan, he added.

Harun said after killing MP Azim they cut the body into pieces and mixed turmeric powder with it before putting them into plastic bags to avoid suspicion.

"They scattered the body parts in multiple places and thought they would not get caught. They also sent his two phones to two states of India to confuse investigators," said the DB chief quoting the arrestees along with information provided by Indian police.

The flat where MP Azim was kept in Kolkata was decked with advanced technology and biometric sensors. No one could enter or exit without biometric and iris verifications, said the police chief.

Also, the hitman has been identified as Shimul Bhuiyan, who had obtained a fake passport with the name Amanullah, said Harun-or-Rashid.

Regarding the reason behind the murder, he said, "Once we conclude the investigation we can ascertain the motive. Our main focus is now arresting the rest accused and others involved."

The Detective Branch arrested the mastermind behind the murder yesterday (22 May).

"Kolkata police have arrested two more in this connection," said Foreign Affairs Minister Hasan Mahmud yesterday.

"This is not a matter between the two states. The home minister said it was a planned murder. We are getting all the updates via the Bangladesh High Commission in Kolkata," said Hasan.

MP Anar, who went missing from Kolkata on 14 May, was found dead in Kolkata yesterday (22 May). He went there on 11 May for medical treatment.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday (22 May) said the lawmaker of Jhenaidah-4 was brutally killed at a flat in New Town, a suburb of Kolkata.

"The information we have so far is that the people of our country are involved in the killing," he said while speaking at a press briefing held at his Dhanmondi residence.

"An investigation is underway to ascertain the reason behind the murder. A few persons were arrested and others who were involved in the murder will be brought to justice. But the names can't be disclosed now for the sake of the investigation," Chief of the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid said yesterday.