Barguna murder: Court issues arrest warrants for nine fugitives

A Barguna court has issued arrest warrants against nine fugitives after accepting the chargesheet in the daylight murder of Refat Shorif.

Barguna's Senior Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Sirajul Islam Gazi passed the order on Wednesday.

The court took cognizance of the charges and issued the arrest warrants against the nine fugitives, said Mujibul Haque Kislu, the lawyer for the plaintiff.

Police submitted the chargesheet in two parts, with 10 adult accused in one and the 14 others named as adolescents in the other. The adolescents accused in the case will be tried in a children’s court on September 22 while the others will face trial in the regular court on October 3, he said.

The 10 adult accused are Rakibul Hasan alias Rifat Forazi, 23, Al Qayum alias Rabbi Akon, 21, Mohaiminul Islam Sifat, 19, Rezwan Ali Khan Hridoy alias Tiktok Hridoy, 22, Md Hasan, 19, Md Musa, 22, Aysha Siddika Minny, 19, Rafiul Islam Rabbi, 20, Md Sagar, 19, and Kamrul Hasan Saimun, 21.

On Jun 26, 23-year old Refat was attacked in broad daylight by a group of assailants wielding long, sharp weapons in the town's College Road area as his wife desperately tried to save him.

He later died of excessive bleeding caused from the wounds he sustained during the attack, according to a post-mortem examination conducted at the Barishal Medical College Hospital.

The video of the attack later went viral on the internet and it sparked an outrage across the country.

Refat’s father Dulal Shorif subsequently initiated a case with Barguna police against 12 people. Police so far arrested 15 people in connection to the case. Seven of whom were named in the case.