Superintendent Babul Aktar says he was called to discuss his wife’s murder

Superintendent Babul Aktar firmly dismissed rumours of his arrest over his wife's murder and said Saturday he had been merely called to 'discuss the case.'

The senior police officer, who according to relatives, was taken away from his Dhaka home very early on Saturday, spoke to bdnews24.com on phone around 4:15pm.

His relatives had said that they failed to contact him since he left home around 12:45am, apparently to meet the inspector general of police.

Speaking to bdnews24.com, Babul maintained he was called to discuss his wife's murder.

Asked whether he was arrested over the killing, he replied, “Who said that?

“Those who are investigating called me to discuss the case.”

He, however, evaded a question whether the discussion lasted the whole night.

Earlier in the afternoon, amidst concern of Babul's relatives over his whereabouts after they failed to contact him, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said Babul was being questioned in front of 'some' suspects.

On the morning of June 5, his wife Mahmuda Aktar was stabbed and shot dead in Chittagong City while on her way to drop her son at school.

Police suspect Islamist militants were behind the murder as Babul had led several successful raids against them during his tenure in the Detective Branch at the southeastern coastal district.

Drama starts at midnight

SP Babul has been staying at the house of his father-in-law Mosharraf Hossain, a retired police officer, in Dhaka with his two children since the murder of his wife.

Babul’s father Abdul Wadud Mia, who is also a retired police officer, was at his son's place in Banasree at midnight on Friday when police officials picked the SP up.

Mia told bdnews24.com on Saturday morning that Babul had told him during a programme at the Officers’ Club in the evening that the inspector general wanted to meet him.

He returned home with Khilgaon Police Station OC Moinul Hossain, Mia said. Deputy Commissioner Anwar Hossain then showed up, and they all left responding to IGP Shahidul Hoque’s call.

The relatives were concerned when none of the police officers took their phone calls afterwards.

“We have contacted the DB (Detective Branch) too. But there was no cooperation,” he said.

OC Moinul and DC Anwar did not take bdnews24.com’s calls either.

Later, Babul returned in the afternoon.

“It’s impossible”

His father-in-law Mosharraf claimed to get worried when Babul could not be reached on his phone after midnight.

“Many wanted to know whether Babul had my daughter killed. They wanted to know my comments. I said I never believed  Babul could plan Mitu’s murder,” he said.

“It’s totally impossible,” he added.

He also said the investigators who contacted him and Babul did not speak about the investigation with him, either.

What police say

DB Deputy Commissioner Mahbub Alam told bdnews24.com that CMP Commissioner Iqbal Bahar took permission to use his room for the night to speak to Babul.

“They spoke almost overnight,” Alam said.

He said at least two other officers were also present.

“They crosschecked information and discussed several angles of the case,” Alam added.

According to him, Babul left the DB office around 9am saying that he would go to his father-in-law’s house.