Two primary suspects in the murder of Inquilab Moncho leader Sharif Osman Hadi have fled Bangladesh and are believed to be currently in India, a top Dhaka metropolitan police officer said on Sunday, even as India's security agencies rejected the claim.
Hadi, 32, was shot in the head on December 12 during an election campaign in Dhaka. He was airlifted to Singapore for advanced treatment but died of his injuries on December 18.
The suspects, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, crossed into the Indian state of Meghalaya with the help of local associates,
Additional police commissioner (crime and operations) of the Dhaka metropolitan police SN Mohammed Nazrul Islam told a press conference at the DMP Media Centre.
According to our information, the suspects entered India via the Haluaghat border. After crossing, they were initially received by an individual named Purti. Later, a taxi driver named Sami transported them to Tura city in Meghalaya,
The Daily Star said, quoting Islam.
He added that the police have received informal reports suggesting that the two individuals who assisted the fugitives, Purti and Sami, have since been detained by authorities in India.
The DMP officer said the Bangladesh government is actively working to bring the suspects back.
"We are maintaining communication with Indian authorities through both formal and informal channels to ensure their arrest and extradition," he added.
The DMP officer did not, however, mention when the two escaped to India.
Meanwhile, the security agencies in Meghalaya on Sunday dismissed claims by the Bangladesh police that the killers of Inquilab Moncho leader Hadi had entered the state.
The claims are unfounded and misleading, Border Security Force chief in Meghalaya, inspector general OP Opadhyay said.
"There is no evidence to suggest that any individual crossed the international border from the Haluaghat sector into Meghalaya. The BSF has neither detected nor received any report of such an incident," Opadhyay told PTI.
The claims being circulated are unfounded and misleading, he said.
A senior Meghalaya police officer also said that there was "no input or intelligence to corroborate" the claim of the suspects' presence in the Garo Hills region.
The officer said local police units had not detected any such movement and coordination with central agencies was ongoing.
BSF officials said that the personnel deployed along the international border have been kept on a high state of alert at all times to avert any untoward incident, particularly in view of the unrest and volatile situation prevailing in the neighbouring country.
The force reiterated that the international border in the sector was under constant surveillance and any attempt at illegal cross-border movement would be promptly detected and dealt with.
Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Moncho, was a prominent youth leader during the July-August 2024 mass street protests that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government last year.
He was also a parliamentary candidate for the upcoming February 12 elections.
State-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) added that Islam said the investigation into Hadi's murder is nearing completion and the charge sheet is expected to be submitted within the next seven to ten days.
So far, 11 people have been arrested in connection with the killing, six of whom have given confessional statements before the court under Section 164 of the CrPC, he added.
The police also said the murder was premeditated.
Earlier, DMP commissioner SM Sazzat Ali while speaking at a sit-in programme organised by Inqilab Moncho at Shahbagh on Saturday, described Hadi's killing as a mysterious incident and said there are indications that multiple individuals were involved in the crime, the BSS said in another report.
According to him, the government has assigned all law enforcement agencies, including police, Border Guard Bangladesh and Rapid Action Battalion, to uncover the masterminds behind the crime.
The police have also recovered two pistols allegedly used in the murder, and those are currently being kept at the Criminal Investigation Department for scientific examination.
The motorcycle used in the attack has been recovered by the Detective Branch police, the BSS added.
He further revealed that a huge amount of money was spent in carrying out the murder, and a cheque signed for Tk 218 crore has been seized during the investigation.
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