Chargesheets filed in Narayanganj seven-murder against 3 ex-RAB officers, AL’s Nur Hossain, 31 others

Police have pressed charges in court over the sensational seven-murder in Narayanganj against 35 people, including three former RAB officials and Awami League leader Nur Hossain.

The chargesheets were filed in two cases with Senior Judicial Magistrate Chandni Rupam’s court on Wednesday, Additional Public Prosecutor KM Fazlur Rahman said.

The judge will hold a hearing on May 11 to decide whether she would admit the charges and order the start of trial, he added.

Twenty-five former RAB officers including Tarek Sayeed Mohammad, Arif Hossain and MM Rana have been accused.

Hossain planned the murders over a turf war with Narayanganj City councillor Nazrul Islam, the investigation officer wrote.

Seven men, including former councillor Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarkar, were abducted on Apr 27 last year.

Their bloated bodies were found floating on the Shitalakkhya River several days later.

Families of Islam and Sarkar filed separate cases over the incident.

However, Islam’s wife Selina Islam said she would contest the chargesheets in court for leaving out five others.

Islam’s family alleged Hossain had bribed RAB Tk 60 million to carry out the crimes, a charge the elite police unit initially denied.

But then Narayanganj-based RAB-11 chief Mohammad along with Rahman and Rana were sent back to their parent forces and forced to retire.

They were arrested later upon court orders.

Mohammad is the son-in-law of Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, who had sought to defend him saying none from his family was involved with the crime.

RAB sources told bdnews24.com that their investigations had found evidence of involvement of their own officers in the crimes.

Local Awami League leader Hossain, who fled to India, was arrested in Kolkata on charges of trespassing.

The government says it is trying to bring him back to stand trial in Bangladesh.

Additional Public Prosecutor Rahman said 127 people had been made witnesses in the cases and they had cited 162 pieces of evidence.

An administrative committee, formed on court orders to look into the incident, last week said they would submit their final investigation report “soon”.

Narayanganj Superintendent of Police (SP) Khandker Mohid Uddin told reporters that the chargesheets were submitted in a “neutral, transparent, professional and flawless” manner.

About the findings, he said, “Nur Hossain had bad blood with Nazrul over many reasons. RAB members were bribed to carry out the murders.”

But he said the bribe amount was unclear.

13 accused absconding

Eight former RAB personnel and five others are absconding, Investigation Officer Mamunur Rashid said.

Those currently in jail include 16 former RAB officers and five of Hossain’s aides.

Several men including former army officers Mohammad and Arif Hossain and navy officer Rana have reportedly confessed to the crimes.

SP Mohid Uddin said they would take steps against the absconders as per court directives.

Selina rejects chargesheet

Nazrul’s wife accused six men, including Hossain, in a case over the murders but police pressed charges in court only against Hossain.

Selina, who is currently a councillor from her husband’s ward, told reporters that the chargesheets should have been filed after questioning Hossain.

“We’d have known about others involved in the murders if he was interrogated,” she said.

She would move the court against the chargesheet after analysing it.

Narayanganj District Lawyers Association President Sakhawat Hossain said they would make a move after consulting the plaintiff and going through the chargesheet.

But the SP said, “None of the accused has been left out and anyone not involved was not implicated.

“Everything has been done going by evidence.”