Ex-RAB officer Rana involved in 7-murder: police

Police claim to have found evidence that former navy Lt Commander MM Rana, who was deputed to RAB, was involved in the abduction and murder of seven men in Narayanganj.

The investigation officer of the case, Mamunur Rashid Mandal of Detective Branch of Police, said in his remand plea, in court Rana perpetrated the murders with assistance from the prime suspect Nur Hossain.

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Seven men, including former city councillor Nazrul Islam, were abducted from Narayanganj in April. Their bodies were found floating in the Shitalakhyya River several days later.

Nazrul’s father-in-law has claimed three former RAB-11 officers -- then commander ex-Lt Col Tarek Sayeed Mohammad, former Major Arif Hossain, and Rana -- took Tk 60 million in bribes from Nur Hossain for the execution.

The trio has been forced to retire. They have been arrested as per the court’s order and are currently in police custody.

On Monday, IO Mandal argued in his remand plea at the court of Narayanganj Senior Judicial Magistrate KM Mohiuddin in a murder case filed by Nazrul’s wife that initial investigations suggested Rana was involved with the abduction, killing and dumping of seven men.

He carried out the murders with help from Nur Hossain and the prime suspect had influenced the whole matter, the petition said.

The investigation officer sought seven more days to question Rana in custody to verify the information given out by Rana and the testimonies of the witnesses.

However, the court granted police another five-day remand for the former RAB officer.

No lawyer stood for Rana during the hearing.

Arguing for himself, he told the court that the area where the abductions took place was not under his jurisdiction.

“I’m a victim of circiumstances,” he claimed, “I didn’t have any link with Nur Hossain.”

At the hearing, lawyer Anwar Hossain said pyjama- and panjabi-clad Rana held meeting with Hossain at his ‘den’ a day before the abduction.

He said Rana went to Hossain’s ‘den’ again a day after the abduction. “It proves Rana was involved in the incident,” he argued.

Nazrul’s father-in-law claimed that the seven were killed at Old Court RAB camp which was headed by Rana.

After the fresh remand was granted, Rana was taken back to district police lines, where police had been questioning him since his arrest on May 17.

The two other former RAB officers are also being grilled at the same place for the third phase.