Unidentified assailants kill a Japanese national in Rangpur

A Japanese national has been shot dead in Bangladesh's northern district of Rangpur within a week of an identical murder of an Italian aid worker in Dhaka.

Masked assailants on a motorcycle fired at Kunio Hoshi in Kaunia Upazila, Rangpur’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Abdur Razzak told bdnews24.com.
 
Police said he was shot thrice around 11am on Saturday at the Upazila’s Alutari when he was on way to a farm in the area.
 
He knew two brothers living in Japan, whose family lived in Rangpur and had helped Konio set up the farm.
 
“Assailants on a motorcycle fired at Kunio. He was shot in the chest, shoulder and hand,” said Kaunia police OC Rezaul Karim.
 
Italian national Cesare Tavella was also killed similarly by assailants who fled on a motorcycle at Dhaka’s Guslhan on Sep 28, according to police and witnesses.
 

The Italian aid worker’s killing happened after an alert issued to its citizens by the UK and Australia advised caution, limit movements and avoid public places.

The US also issued an alert after the Italian aid worker’s murder. Police are yet to arrest anyone over Tavella’s killing.

Meanwhile, police have taken four people in custody for questioning over Saturday’s killing in Rangpur.

Two of them are Murad Hossain, who lives in a house near the spot of the murder and rickshaw puller Monnaf Ali.

Rangpur SP Abdur Razzak told reporters that Kunio came to Bangladesh in May this year. He leased a piece of land in Alurtila village and ran a farm.

The Japanese national lived in a rented house in Rangpur town.

His landlord is one Zakaria Bala, whose two brothers live in Japan, he said.

The family is Kunio’s contact in Bangladesh. It is through them he leased land in Alurtari Village, according to the police official.

Kunio used to go to the farm from his home in Rangpur town every day by the rickshaw of Monnaf Ali, said SP Razzak.

“Like every other day, Kunio was heading to his farm by rickshaw, when three masked assailants shot him before fleeing on a motorcycle parked beside the road.

“Murad came out from his house nearby and rushed Kunio to the hospital, but he died on the way,” he said quoting rickshaw puller Ali.
 
Razzak said that the Ali informed Zakaria Bala's brother-in-law ‘Hira’ used to come with Kunio every day, but he was not with the Japanese national on Saturday.

Both Bala and Hira were detained later in the afternoon for questioning, he added.
 
Police have recovered Kunio’s passport, which had a Bangladesh visa valid until May, 2016.
 
“Konio entered Bangladesh with a multiple-entry visa,” Rangpur’s Additional SP Zainul Abedin told bdnews24.com.