Would have caught Hadi’s killers if we knew their whereabouts: Jahangir

Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Monday said no concession would be given to anyone involved in the murder of Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, stressing that the prime suspect would already have been arrested if his location were known.

“If I had known where he was, I would have caught him,” the adviser said, responding to questions about the whereabouts of the main attacker.

He made the remarks after a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Law and Order and the Jagannath University Student Parliament elections at the Secretariat on Monday, December 22.

Jahangir said the interim government, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, is giving the highest priority to the trial of those involved in the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, describing him as a frontline fighter of the July uprising. “No one involved in this murder will be given any kind of concession,” he said.

He added that significant progress has been made in the investigation and that 10 people have so far been arrested by joint forces comprising police, RAB and BGB.

Those arrested include Shaheda Parveen Samia, wife of the alleged mastermind Faisal Karim Masud; his parents; brother-in-law Wahid Ahmed Shipu; and motorcycle owner Abdul Hannan.

Law enforcers have also recovered the motorcycle used in the killing, two foreign-made pistols, two magazines, 41 rounds of ammunition and a toy pistol, he said.

According to the adviser, the mastermind, Faisal Karim Masud, was identified quickly after the incident. However, details regarding the motive behind the killing cannot be disclosed at this stage in the interest of the investigation and confidentiality.

He said law enforcement agencies are making all-out efforts to trace and arrest the mastermind. Based on intelligence information, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has arrested five associates of a broker gang leader named Philip – including his wife and father-in-law – on suspicion of involvement in the case and handed them over to police following due legal process.

The police, RAB and BGB briefed the media on the developments at a joint press conference at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday.

When asked whether the mastermind is in the country or abroad, Jahangir said his location remains unknown. “He could be inside the country or outside. If I knew his exact location, I would have arrested him. I also cannot say whether he left the country through legal or illegal means,” he added.