RAB arrests ex-BDR trooper sentenced to death over Pilkhana massacre

Rezaul Karim was arrested and a detailed identification was done after collecting his fingerprints

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested a former member of the now defunct Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) sentenced to death in a case over the Pilkhana massacre.

Ex-BDR trooper Rezaul Karim, 49, was arrested from Chattogram's Lohagara Upazila on Sunday. He hails from Dengapara in Patiya Upazila.

Rezaul was sentenced to death in a case filed over the Pilkhana carnage with the New Market Police Station, said Assistant Police Superintendent Mozaffar Hossain of RAB-7.

"He had been in hiding for a long time to evade arrest. He was arrested in the area near the Four Seasons restaurant on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway in Lohagara Upazila on Sunday."

A RAB officer who participated in the raid to nab the fugitive said that after he was convicted, Rezaul lived in Lohagara for a long time by concealing his identity. Everyone called him “Hujur”, not knowing his real name.

After the arrest, Rezaul's identity was confirmed by collecting his fingerprints. The information matched the details in the warrant for his death sentence, he said.

The RAB officer added that Rezaul had been handed over to the Patiya Police Station.