RAB reveals how Narayanganj seven murders were written

The RAB's report on internal investigation has given a clear picture of the abductions and murders of seven men including Narayanganj City Councillor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar.

Suliman NiloySuliman Niloybdnews24.com
Published : 10 Dec 2014, 05:26 PM
Updated : 11 Dec 2014, 00:01 AM

Submitted on Wednesday, it describes how the then RAB-11 Commander former Lt Col Tarek Sayeed Mohammad and his colleagues were involved in the whole process.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam at a High Court bench on Wednesday submitted the report on the elite force's enquiry that had begun after it was alleged that its officials were involved in the murders.

The report said the RAB officials carried out the abductions and assassinations following orders from Tarek Sayeed, son-in-law of Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.

Tarek, however, kept his superiors in the dark about the incident all along, according to the report.

Nazrul Islam, Chandan Sarkar and five others were whisked away from Dhaka-Narayanganj link road on Apr 27. Their bodies were found floating on the Shitalakkhyya River several days later.

The report said the seven men were killed the day they were abducted.

After the abductions on Apr 27, Tarek had kept quiet even after all the law-enforcing agencies made attempts to rescue the abductees, it said.

The investigation found that Nazrul's political rival Narayanganj City Councillor Nur Hossain's people were also present when the bodies were dumped.

After the corpses were recovered, Nazrul's father-in-law alleged that Hossain had paid off RAB officials to carry out the assassinations.

The RAB formed a team to look into the allegations and it prepared the report.

But the murder case is being probed by Detective Branch (DB) of police and an administrative probe committee is overseeing the whole investigation process.

Apart from Tarek, the report has also held former army Maj Arif Hossain and former navy Lt Commander MM Rana responsible for the murders.

The trio was also suspended from RAB after the allegations surfaced before being sacked by their respective forces.

RAB enquiry found that Tarek was never present during the events of Apr 27, but he gave all the orders to Arif and Rana from the beginning to the end.

Additional Director General Aftab Uddin Ahmed led the four-strong team that conducted the internal probe.

Sixteen RAB officials including Tarek, Arif and Rana so far have confessed in court to their involvement in the crimes. Nine other RAB personnel have also deposed in court as witnesses.

Tarek, top brass trade accusations

Tarek Sayeed Mohammad told the investigation team that the order to arrest Councillor Nazrul Islam had come from the RAB headquarters a month before the abduction.

But his claim was rejected by the two top officials of the elite force, says the probe report.

He also faulted his former colleague Arif Hossain for the killings. Tarek claimed he did not know about lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar's abduction before reports were carried on the murders.

He told the investigators that Arif and Rana along with a RAB team had prepared to arrest Nazrul on Apr 27 following orders from the headquarters.

Tarek claimed Arif had kept him informed about every step of the operation since Nazrul and four along with him had been whisked away.

He said he also provided Arif with a driver to move an abandoned car in the afternoon that day and a boat later in the evening to transport the abductees.

But he claimed that he had no clue that Arif had abducted Sarkar and his driver and would murder the seven men and dump the bodies in the river later at night.

The report said Tarek claimed he was told by the additional director general (operations) an hour after midnight over phone that Arif had carried out the operation for money.

Tarek said Arif told him about murdering the men when he had ordered Arif to take the arrestees to the RAB headquarters as per the ADG's orders.

He claimed he had sent Arif and the RAB team that took part in the operation to the headquarters when they had reached the river bank after dumping the bodies.

However, his claim that the headquarters had ordered Nazrul’s arrest a month ago was brushed off by RAB Director General Mokhlesur Rahman.

Rahman told the investigators that order to arrest or detain someone does not come from the RAB headquarters, according to the probe report.

"There is no list of criminals at the headquarters. No directive to arrest anyone in Narayanganj was given from the headquarters."

He said the Narayanganj SP had asked for their help right after the abductions took place on Apr 27. Rahman had immediately ordered the then RAB-11 Commander Tarek to rescue the abductees.

The RAB chief said he had come to know about the RAB officers' involvement the next day.

RAB's Additional DG Col Ziaul Ahsan told the investigation committee that the RAB-11 commander had told him about taking all steps to save the abductees when he had inquired about the matter.

Col Ahsan said Tarek had hidden the truth from him, RAB DG and the chief of the force's intelligence branch even after the incident.

"Tarek's involvement was found when the intelligence branch started looking into the matter. Both Tarek and Arif were summoned to the headquarters, but Tarek sent Arif only."

"Arif during questioning denied the whole event. Later he spoke to his commander and confessed their involvement after proofs were shown to him."

Ahsan said the commander controlled overall actions of a battalion. "Tarek Sayeed himself was behind the covert abductions, murders and dumping of the bodies."

According to the report, RAB's intelligence branch became certain about Tarek and Arif's involvement in the wee hours or Apr 28.

But the headquarters was misguided when Tarek kept the top brass in the dark and hid the truth and ‘failed to rescue the abductees alive’.