Former Bangladesh power board chief found hacked to death in his Dhaka home

Assailants have slaughtered former Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) chairman Muhammad Khizir Khan in his Dhaka residence for yet unclear reasons, police say.

There is a ‘Khankah Sharif’ (a place for religious gathering) at his home and many followed him as a ‘pir’ (saint).

The assailants barged into Khan’s Badda residence and fled after hacking the 68-year-old at around 7:30pm on Monday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Deputy Commissioner Muntasirul Islam told bdnews24.com.

Khan, who owned the five-storey building, lived on the second floor with his family. The ‘Khankah Sharif’ is on the first floor where he was murdered.

A witness, grocery shop owner Md Wahab, said the killers numbered up to six.

“They entered the building saying they would rent it and fled after the killing,” he told bdnews24.com.

Laundry worker Abul Kalam, whose shop sits beside Khizir Khan’s house, went into the building right after the incident.

He said Khan’s body was in the bathroom with his hands and legs tied and his throat slit.

Monday’s killing is a chilling reminder of last year’s murder of Islami Front leader Nurul Islam Farooqi at his Dhaka residence.

In 2013, self-styled ‘pir’ Lutfur Rahman was killed in the same way at his Gopibagh home.

Investigators are yet to solve the crimes but say they suspect militants were behind both incidents that might have stemmed from ideological conflicts.

Senior police officers have visited the crime scene.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Joint Commissioner Krishnapada Roy said they suspect a group of five or six assailants had taken part in the killing.

“But the motive is still unclear,” he told reporters.

DMP’s Gulshan zone Deputy Commissioner Mostaq Ahmed told bdnews24.com Khan’s wife, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were at home during the incident.

“The killers tied their hands and legs and confined them on the second floor before murdering Khan,” he said.

But it is unclear whether any valuables had gone missing from the house, he said.

Khan was murdered at a time when the security forces are grappling with the killing of two foreigners in Dhaka and Rangpur.

The former PDB official’s father Habib Rahmat Ullah was revered as a ‘pir’ and his disciples became his son Khan’s followers after his death about 12 years ago.

Former Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute official Syed Khairullah said he was a disciple of Khan’s father.

He said he had known Khan since 1973. “Religious gatherings were held here almost every month and I tried to take part regularly from Gazipur,” he told bdnews24.com.

Khairullah claimed Khan was not affiliated with any political party.

Khan’s neighbour, 22-year-old SA Mahmud said the slain PDB official was close friends with his grandfather.

“My grandfather died several years ago but we took part in religious gatherings whenever he (Khan) would invite us,” he told bdnews24.com.

Mahmud’s uncle SA Atik was the first to inform the locals about the killing, he added.

According to him, the house’s security guard had gone to his village home during the Eid-ul-Azha.

He claimed Khan’s driver opened the main gate after several men showed up saying they wanted to rent the ground floor and use it as a warehouse.

“The men went to second floor with the driver and tied the hands and legs of everyone.

“They took Mr Khizir to the first floor and killed him,” he added.