The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch on Tuesday detained ruling Awami League Jhenaidah district unit general secretary Saidul Karim Mintu from the capital鈥檚 Dhanmondi area on Tuesday afternoon in connection with the AL lawmaker for Jhenaidah-4 Anwarul Azim Anar murder.
Jhenaidah superintendent of police Md Azim Ul Ahsan said that they had heard that Saidul Karim Mintu was detained in Dhaka, but were not informed anything officially.
DB officials in Dhaka, however, confirmed Saidul was detained in connection with the MP Anwarul Azim murder and was taken to the DB office for interrogation.
They said that detaining the AL leader had connection with the arrest of AL Jhenaidah district unit relief and social welfare secretary Qazi Kamal Ahmed Babu, who was now on seven-day remand in police custody.
Hours before detaining Saidul, DMP detective branch chief Harun-or-Rashid said that they had put the leaders and activists of the Jhenaidah district under surveillance.
鈥楾hree people were arrested in India and two in Bangladesh. The Dhaka DB police knew from them that Jhenaidah district Awami League leaders involved in the incident. We have arrested Jhenaidah district AL relief and social welfare affairs secretary and he is now put on remand,鈥� said Harun while talking to reporters at his office in the capital鈥檚 Minto Road.
Harun also said that other Jhenaidah district AL leaders also were now under their surveillance.
He said that they had also seized two cars of United States citizen Akhtaruzzaman Shaheen, the alleged mastermind of the lawmaker murder.
Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Tuesday said that they had never said Jhenaidah-4 lawmaker Anwarul Azim Anar was involved in smuggling, the United News of Bangladesh reported.
鈥榃e never said that MP Anar was involved in smuggling,鈥� he was quoted as saying in the UNB report.
He made the remarks while speaking to the press at an event in Dhaka鈥檚 Rajarbagh on Tuesday afternoon.
When asked about whether Anar鈥檚 daughter disclosed name of any suspect, the minister said, 鈥業t is not possible for minister, IGP, or investigating officer to make any statements until the investigation ends. We will address these issues after the investigation concludes.鈥�
AL Jhenaidah district president Md Shofiqul Islam Apu told 抖阴精品 that they were yet to know why Saidul was taken to the DB office鈥攚hether to collect information from him or as a suspect in the murder.聽
鈥榃e knew that he was picked up by car with no number plate. When we came to know that he was taken to DB office, we got relief,鈥� he added.
The AL鈥檚 student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League Jhenaidah district unit general secretary AL-Emran said that men identifying themselves as DB police picked him up at about 3:30pm from Dhanmondi.
On June 6, the DMP DB branch detained AL Jhenaidah district leader Qazi Kamal from Jhenaidah sadar upazila in connection with the case.
He was later taken to Dhaka for interrogation as local people and the police said that Babu had close links with Shimul Bhuiyan, arrested in Bangladesh as one of the key suspects in the case.
They said that he was a relative of United States citizen Akhtaruzzaman Shaheen, the alleged mastermind behind the murder.
Three suspects鈥擲yed Amanullah Aman alias Shimul Bhuiyan, his associate Tanvir Bhuiyan, and Celesty Rahman were sent to jail after two phases of remand.
Celesty Rahman gave confessional statement on June 3 and Tanvir Bhuiyan on June 4.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Tarikul Islam rejected Celesty Rahman鈥檚 bail petition and sent her to jail on Tuesday.
Jhenaidah-4 lawmaker Anwarul Azim Anar went to India for medical treatment on May 11 and went missing on May 14.
On May 22, Kolkata detectives confirmed that he was murdered.
Siam Hossain who was brought back to India from Nepal was now in the custody of the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department.
The CID West Bengal recovered the bones from a spot on the bank of a canal near Polerhat in North 24 Parganas around 15 kilometres away from the New Town apartment where the Anar was reportedly murdered and his body was dismembered, according to Indian media reports.
On May 28, the Kolkata CID recovered four kilogram of flesh from a septic tank of Sanjeeva Garden of Kolkata.