The Rapid Action Battalion on Wednesday claimed that seven crew members of the fertiliser carrying vessel, MV Al-Bakhera on the River Meghna in Chandpur, were hacked to death after being drugged by a fellow allegedly over long-standing grievances due to unpaid salaries and mistreatment.
RAB arrested the suspect, Akash Mondal Irfan, a crew member of the vessel who was onboard with the victims, from Chitalmari in Bagerhat on Tuesday night,聽 RAB said in a press release on Wednesday.
Akash was shown arrested in a case filed over the incident, said Md Kalam Khan, in-charge of the Harinaghat Naval Police outpost and also the investigating officer of the case.
鈥楢 court in Chandpur granted Akash on seven-day remand after he was produced before the court on Wednesday,鈥� he added.
RAB said that Akash planned the murders out of anger towards the vessel master, Golam Kibria, who reportedly withheld the staff鈥檚 salaries and bonuses for eight months and behaved abusively towards them.
Earlier, when Akash asked the other crew members on the vessel to protest over unpaid salaries, no one protested out of fear. Later, he planned to murder the master.
鈥楧uring a preliminary interrogation, Akash confessed that he first drugged the crew members to incapacitate them and then he first hacked the vessel鈥檚 master to death using a Chinese axe found onboard,鈥� RAB said.
Then he decided to kill the other crew members onboard, fearing that they might find out the incident and inform law enforcers, RAB said.
RAB in its press release said that Akash along with the victims boarded the vessel, carrying 720 tonnes of urea fertiliser, from Chattogram at about 8:00am on Sunday for Sirajganj鈥檚 Baghabari.
As per his plan, Akash mixed three strips of sleeping pills into the food served for dinner on the vessel on Sunday before the killings, the release said.
After the killings, Akash operated the vessel until it was stuck in Majhirchar area.
He fled the scene aboard a passing trawler.
RAB recovered blood-stained clothes, a bag, gloves, sleeping pill packaging and seven mobile phones, five of which belonged to the victims, from the arrestee Akash.
Earlier, responding to a call to the national emergency helpline 999 on Monday afternoon, the Bangladesh Coast Guard and River police members recovered five bodies and rescued three injured from the vessel.
Later, two of the injured died while undergoing treatment at hospital, the river police said.
The deceased were the vessel鈥檚 master, Golam Kibria, 60, Md Sajibul Islam, 29, Majedul Islam, 17, Sheikh Sabuj, 35, Salahuddin Mia, 40, Aminur Munshi, 41, and Rana Kazi.
The sole survivor in the incident Jewel, 21, a resident of Faridpur, is currently undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Meanwhile, one of the owners of the vessel, Mahabub Morshed, filed the case with the Haimchar police station in connection with the incident on Tuesday night, said Md Mohiuddin Sumon, officer-in-charge of the police station.
According to the case statement, the sole survivor Jewel could not provide detailed information about the attacks as he was unable to speak due to a deep cut he received on his throat in the attack.
However, he wrote that there were total nine people on the ship, including Akash.
He however could not provide Akash鈥檚 address.
Earlier, the industries ministry and Chandpur district administration formed two separate probe bodies to investigate the incident.
