IANS
Two of the three dismissed officers of Bangladesh’s anti-crime elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have been arrested for their alleged role in the abduction and killing of seven persons last month.
“Lieutenant Colonel Tarek Sayeed Mohammad and Major Arif Hossain who were dismissed from their service on May 6 over the allegation of their involvement with the killings have been arrested,” Khandker Mohid Uddin, a senior police officer said.
Originally from the Bangladesh army, the two were on deputation in RAB-11 in Narayanganj district, some 17km southeast of capital Dhaka.
Narayanganj police launched a raid in Dhaka Cantonment area at around 4am on Saturday to arrest the officers.
The senior police officer said they could not arrest Lieutenant Commander MM Rana of the Bangladesh Navy as he was not available in his cantonment residence.
“Police will hunt the fugitive suspect in murder.”
Rana was also dismissed from his service over the
allegation.
A high court division bench of Bangladesh on May 11 ordered the inspector general of Bangladesh Police to arrest the trio as suspects after relatives of the victims alleged that the members of RAB on April 27 abducted a city corporation councillor and six others in exchange for money and later killed them.
Shahidul Islam, father-in-law of the slain City Corporation councillor Nazrul Islam, in a press briefing alleged that the RAB members abducted and killed Nazrul and his four aides and a senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and his driver in exchange for 60mn taka from their rivals.
On April 27, Nazrul and his four aides, and Sarker and his driver were abducted separately around the same time after they came out of the court area in two cars. Six bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya river three days later and another the next day.
“Investigation will reveal who is responsible for what,” the elite force’s spokesman ATM Habibur Rahman said earlier.
