Bangladesh plans to seek help from Interpol to apprehend the “mastermind” behind the heinous killing of Anwarul Azim Anar, a lawmaker from the ruling party, who was discovered dead in Kolkata last week, a senior official announced on Sunday. Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, the chief of the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, made these remarks at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Sunday before heading to Kolkata for further investigation, as reported by news agency PTI.
Anar, who served three terms as the MP for the Jhenaidah-4 constituency and was the president of the Awami League’s Kaliganj sub-district unit, left Dhaka on May 12 to seek medical treatment in Kolkata. He went missing the following day. The search for Anar commenced after Gopal Biswas, a resident of Baranagar in north Kolkata and an acquaintance of the Bangladeshi politician, lodged a complaint with local authorities on May 18.
According to Kolkata police, the evidence suggested that the MP was initially strangled and murdered before his body was dismembered and scattered in various locations. His remains have not yet been discovered.
“We will request assistance from Interpol to extradite Akhtaruzzaman Shaheen, the fugitive ‘mastermind’ behind the murder of Jhenaidah-4 MP Anwarul Azim Anar,” stated Harun, additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, as reported by PTI.
The Detective Branch team from Bangladesh has reached Kolkata.
Harun mentioned that Shaheen, a lifelong friend of the deceased legislator, will be sent back once a request is submitted via the inspector general of police. Additionally, to investigate Azim’s murder, a trio from the detective branch team left Dhaka and reached Kolkata.
According to Harun, Jihad, who has been detained in India in connection with the murder case, will be interrogated by the detective branch team following their visit to the crime scene in Kolkata.
A Bangladesh court recently placed three suspects under an eight-day police remand due to their alleged involvement in Anar’s murder. Concurrently, in India, the West Bengal police apprehended a Bangladeshi butcher from North-24-Parganas district for his purported role in the killing.
Officials from the West Bengal CID indicated that a dispute over gold smuggling might have been a motive for the murder. They suggested that a conflict between Anar and his US-based business partner regarding smuggling activities could have led to the incident.
Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan named a businessman as the main suspect in Anar’s murder, emphasizing that his ministry is collaborating with authorities in India and the US to ensure the suspect is brought to justice.
