ASP Mizan murder: Charge sheet submitted against two suspects

Police have submitted a charge sheet against two suspects over the murder of Savar Highway Police Assistant Police Commissioner Mizanur Rahman.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Morshed Al Mamun Bhuiyan took cognisance of the charges on Sunday and ordered that warrants be issued against absconding suspect Farooq Howladar.

The other charged in the case is Shah Alam aka Budda, who is currently in prison and has given a deposition under section 164.

Case investigation officer Dhaka Metropolitan Police (West) Inspector Sirajul Islam said he submitted the charge sheet against the two suspects to the court last week.

Two other suspects in the murder – Md Zakir Hossain and Ainal Haque aka Enamul Haque aka Mintu – were killed in an alleged shootout with Detective Branch police, leading to the charges against them being dropped, Islam said.

Another suspect, Kamal, has not been named in the case because police have not confirmed his full name or address.

The state will use the testimony of 21 witnesses to argue their case. The case investigation officer has submitted nine pieces of evidence to the court, including a mobile phone and car keys.

Rahman, an assistant superintendent of police, was found dead with a cloth wrapped around his throat near the Birulia Bridge in Rupnagar on the outskirts of Dhaka on Jun 21, 2017.

His younger brother Masum Talukdar started the murder case against several unnamed people with Rupnagar police that day.

The Detective Branch was assigned to investigate the case under instructions from high-level police officials.

According to the case dossier, Rahman had left his home in Uttara for work at 5 am after having his sehri meal. The location where his body was found was 15-20 minutes away from his home.

After Shah Alam’s arrest police stated the motive for the murder was hijacking.

In July, 2017, after Zakir and Mintu were killed in a shootout with police, Dhaka Metropolitan police Additional Commissioner Md Monirul Islam said that Shah Alam and three other hijackers had grabbed ASP Mizan in a private car. When he identified himself as a police officer, they killed him.

According to Monirul, Zakir had been driving at the time of the murder, while Shah Alam was next to the driver. ASP Mizan had seated in the back with Mintu and Kamal aka Farooq on either side.

They strangled Mizan to death with a cloth.