Security cameras were off at murdered Chinese national’s home in Dhaka: police

The security cameras in the house where a Chinese national has been murdered in Dhaka’s Banani were not operating during the incident, police say.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 11 Dec 2019, 06:53 PM
Updated : 11 Dec 2019, 06:53 PM

“It appears to be a planned murder. The CCTV cameras of the house were switched off. Initial investigation suggests the murderers switched off the cameras as part of their plan,” Md Mahbub Alam, a joint of commissioner of police’s Detective Branch, told bdnews24.com on Wednesday evening.

Md Rafiqul Islam, an assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said they quizzed three people, including the victim’s chauffer, but could not tease out useful information.

“There is no lead yet,” he said.

The body of Gaoxian Hui, 47, was kept at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s mortuary. Forensic doctors will conduct the post-mortem examination on Thursday.

He lived with his family on the fifth floor of the 10-storey house No. 82 on Banani's Road No. 23.

Hui was involved in stone business in Bangladesh and worked as a supplier in the Padma Bridge project, police say.

His family went to China around 20 days ago and were scheduled to return on Thursday, said a police officer at the scene.

Hui travelled between Bangladesh and China around 18 times in past one year and he came to Dhaka for the last time on Dec 7, said Sudip Kumar Chakrabarty, a deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

His staff told police they saw Hui until Tuesday evening, added Ahad Abdul, an additional deputy commissioner of DMP.

Domestic workers found the body buried next to the building in the morning and informed police.

Police believe the burial following the murder of Hui took place after Tuesday evening.

The body was exhumed after the CID and Chinese embassy officials had arrived, Sudip said.

There were blood in Hui’s nose and signs of wounds in his neck, the police officer said.

“It appears he was strangled to death,” he said.

There were also signs of a scuffle and drops of blood on a sandal at the front of Hui’s flat, the part he used as his office, according to Sudip.