Assets of MP Rana, brothers attached in case over Faruk Ahmed murder

Police have confiscated the assets of ruling Awami League MP in Tangail Amanur Rahman Khan Rana and his three brothers in a case over murder of Faruk Ahmed.

Tangail Model Police Station in-charge Najmul Hoque Bhuiyan said that on Friday police raided the houses of Rana and his three brothers— former mayor Shahidur Rahman Khan Mukti, Jahidur Rahman Khan Kakon and Chhatra League’s Vice-President Saniyat Khan Bappa.

A simultaneous raid was also conducted at the residence of Kalihati suspect Darwan Babu alias Daant Bhanga Babu.

But the police could only lay hands on a broken bicycle and a table from Rana’s house, while some clothes and a refrigerator were confiscated from Mukti’s house.

Raids were also conducted on five other suspects’ residences located in Tangail city, Hoque confirmed, adding that nothing but tables, clothes and wardrobes were found at these places.

Kalihati police OC Saidul Islam Ferozi said that Darwan Babu’s mother lives alone in that house and so no immovable assets were found at the house during the police operation.

A court on Monday ordered police to seize the properties of MP Rana, his three brothers and ten others suspected in the murder of Faruk Ahmed for dishonouring a court order that asked them to appear before it.

The order to confiscate the properties of nine among the ten suspects were sent to Tangail police station while the tenth was sent to the Kalihati police station.

On January 18, 2013, District Awami League leader Faruk Ahmed was shot dead. The charge-sheet has named 14 people as suspects in the murder case. Four of them are in police custody while ten are still absconding.

On April 6, the court of judge Aminul Islam had issued warrants of arrest for the ten absconding suspects.

At a press conference, Faruk’s wife Nahar Ahmed had claimed that her husband was murdered because he intended to become a candidate for the District Awami League General Secretary post.

Rana’s paternal uncle Shamsur Rahman Khan Shahjahan was an Awami League leader and MP. Following his death, his nephew became the League leader.

Following the murder, arrested suspects Anisul Islam Raja and Md Ali, known to be close to the Rana family, testified before the court indicting Rana and his brothers in the murder.

The chargesheet states that lawmaker Rana’s associate Kabir shot Faruk with a pistol when he refused to budge out of the District Awami League general secretary fray.

Acting at the MP’s orders later, Anisul, Md Ali, Abdul Hoque, Samir and Kabir dumped Faruk’s body near his house.

Rana and Mukti had moved the High Court seeking anticipatory bail and asking the law enforcing agencies not to ‘harass’ them during the investigation. While the court had granted them the bail, the order was quashed in December last year.

Some recent media reports have claimed that Kakon and Bappa have fled the country while Rana and Mukti, though still in the country, continue to evade the police.