Witnesses say three men took part in the killing of Italian citizen in Dhaka, rule out mugging

At least three assailants took part in the murder of the Italian charity worker in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone Gulshan, witnesses say.

They also say by the look of it, the murder was planned.

Detective Branch Additional Deputy Commissioner Mahfuzur Rahman said Cesare Tavella was shot dead at Road 90, Gulshan-2 at around 7pm on Monday.

Tavella was the project manager of NGO ICCO Cooperation’s Profitable Opportunities for Food Security (PROOFS) programme.

The witnesses said the street lamps would usually be on in the evening on any other day, but those were off during the incident.

Rickshaw mechanic Md Joynal was working at an end of the Road 83 in Gulshan-2 during the incident. He said he had been working in the area for four decades.

He said he saw the assailants carry gun and flee by a motorcycle.

“I saw two thin youths getting on a motorcycle after I heard three to four gunshots. A middle-aged person was waiting for them at some distance with the motorcycle. The young man in the middle was carrying a gun,” he said.

Joynal said he could not see their faces as the street lamps were off unlike other days.

“I haven’t seen them in this area before. Two wore black vests and pants. The man on the motorcycle wore a striped vest,” he said.

“They did not wear masks. They did not seem to be murderers,” he added.

The rickshaw mechanic said the trio took the Road 83 to make off.

He said he could not even shout in fear.

Physically challenged beggar Sitara Begum was sitting on a wooden tool on the street during the murder.

She said she saw two youths wearing black vests getting on a motorcycle after she heard the gunshots.

Some claimed it was a mugging, but former army sergeant Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain disagreed.

The area inspector of Integrated Security Services told bdnews24.com that he helped Tavella to be taken to the hospital after he was fatally wounded.

Hossain said he saw two persons walking behind Tavella when the Italian was walking past the street.

The site is near the High Commission of Pakistan and Bangladesh Bank governor’s residence.

“Probably they were following him. Another person stood at one end of the Road 83 parking his motorcycle in front of the German Development Cooperation Building,” he said.

“I could not identify them as the street lamps were off. One of the two persons behind him shot him after sometime.

“I heard three gunshots and then saw the man thrashing around in blood,” he added.

Hossain said he then called an auto-rickshaw and sent the victim to a nearby hospital.

He said it did not appear to be a mugging case.

“It is possibly a planned incident. Because, if it was a mugging they would have taken away his belongings. But they didn’t do it. Everything, including his mobile phone, was left untouched,” he added.

Detective Branch ADC Rahman also said the foreigner’s bag and mobile phone were not taken by the assailants.

RAB’s detective wing director Mohammad Abul Kalam, too, said it was not mugging.

“We are almost sure that the incident has nothing to do with mugging. We are trying to solve the mystery considering several sides,” he told bdnews24.com.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia told reporters the police were handling the case with ‘all seriousness’.