Police, RAB accounts vary on Shamim attack

Police and RAB have provided different versions after arresting suspects over the murder attempt on Awami League leader Enamul Haque Shamim.

Three suspects were arrested by police’s Detective Branch on Wednesday after which it provided its version of what lay behind the Jun 19 shooting.

RAB, after arresting four suspects from various parts of the country, had also briefed the press on Tuesday.

Police said Noor–e-Alam Siddiqui, a trustee board member at Dhaka’s Stamford University, masterminded the attempt to kill Shamim at Dhanmondi.

But RAB claimed it was Shamim’s ‘business partner’ who planned the hit. The elite police unit's spokesperson ATM Habibur Rahman refused to name their ‘mastermind’ but ended up implicating one ‘Jashim’ while describing the events.

DB, however, said Noor-e-Alam wanted to hire ‘Jashim’ through a contact person but couldn’t as he was ‘hiding in India'.

RAB said ‘Jashim’ spent Tk 100,000 but police claimed Noor-e-Alam planned to spend Tk 600,000 for the murder.

Shamim, a member of the ruling party’s Central Working Committee, survived a drive-by shooting at 10am a little after he left his Dhanmondi-10 house.

Miscreants, mounted on a motorcycle, shot him on his left arm while he was in his car.

Police say there was another attempt to murder the former Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leader in Dhanmondi but RAB said the earlier attempt was on Stamford University campus in Siddheshwari.

RAB produced suspects – Monir Hossain, Md Harun, Mehedi Hasan and Nazrul Islam Jewel– at their Tuesday briefing after arresting Monir from Rajbarhi’s Pangsha, Harun from Munshiganj and the remaining two from Dhaka’s Tejturi slum.

ATM Habibur Rahman explained that Monir and Jewel were involved in the planning while Mehedi and Harun had direct part in the shooting.

Next day, DB arrested Noor-e-Alam Siddiqui, Nazimul Haque Mithu and Rana Howlader from Dhaka. DMP Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said Rana also took part in the murder attempt.

Suspects Mehedi and Harun admitted that ‘Rana’ was driving the motorcycle, earlier during RAB’s press brief.

Both the law-enforcing agencies were relying on information divulged by the different suspects they arrested.

“Noor-e-Alam didn’t know Rana, he knew Mithu. He used Mithu to contact Rana for the job. The others were brought in by Rana.”

The detective official claimed the hit only meant to leave Shamim ‘disabled’.

“Mithu originally planned to hire Rana’s elder brother Jashim. But Jashim was hiding in India, so he hired the Rana,” he said quoting the suspect.

All seven have been remanded on Wednesday for questioning in police custody.