Bangladesh requests UAE government to extradite murder suspect Arav Khan

The foreign ministry says it will inform the media about any development in the process of repatriating the murder suspect

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 April 2023, 05:45 PM
Updated : 6 April 2023, 05:45 PM

The Bangladesh government has sent a letter to the United Arab Emirates to bring back Rabiul Islam alias Arav Khan, a fugitive suspect in the murder of a police officer.

The documents for the repatriation of Arav were duly verified and sent to the concerned ministry in the UAE mission in Dhaka, foreign ministry spokesperson Seheli Sabrin said in the regular press briefing on Thursday.

She said the ministry would inform the media about any development in the process of repatriating Arav.

Arav came into the spotlight recently after opening a jewellery store in Dubai. Several Bangladeshi celebrities, including cricketer Shakib Al Hasan, actress Prarthana Fardin Dighi and social media star Ashraful Alom aka Hero Alom, flew to Dubai for the store's inauguration at Arav's invitation.

The event caused a stir back home as just before it, police revealed that Arav was none other than Rabiul Islam, a fugitive charged with the 2018 murder of police officer Mamun Imran Khan. He took the alias Arav Khan and travelled to Dubai on an Indian passport.

Arav and Rabiul are not his only aliases either, as he has gone by various other names at different points. His father came from humble means and worked at a hotel in Dhaka.

Arav has gone on to make a fortune, but the source of his wealth is dubious.

Police at his home village in Gopalganj have as many as nine arrest warrants for Arav, and the number of cases against him is even higher.

On Mar 21, Mohammed Abu Zafar, the Bangladesh ambassador in Abu Dhabi, told bdnews24.com that police in Dubai were keeping an eye on Arav.

Interpol later issued a red notice for Arav following Bangladesh's request.