Murder suspect posts selfie with Rajshahi MP as police say he is absconding

The key suspect in the murder of a Jamaat activist in Mohanpur posts the photo with MP Shofiqul Haque Milon on Facebook before later deleting it

A man wanted for murder in Rajshahi has posted a selfie with a local MP on Facebook, even as police say they have been unable to arrest him because he is on the run.

The photo was taken on Friday afternoon at Rajshahi Airport with Shofiqul Haque Milon, the MP for Rajshahi-3 (Paba-Mohanpur), and Raisul Islam Russell, a former convenor of the Kesharhat municipality unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and now joint convenor of the district Swechchhasebak Dal.

Raisul later posted the image on Facebook, writing: “Received brother [Milon] at the airport. Then set off for Kesharhat to join the iftar gathering.”

According to local sources, Milon returned to Rajshahi from Dhaka on Friday and later travelled in a motorcade to an iftar event organised by Kesharhat municipality BNP. Raisul was also seen with the convoy on the way to the programme.

But Raisul is the main accused named in a murder case filed with Mohanpur Police Station over the death of Jamaat-e-Islami activist Md Alauddin.

Alauddin, the muazzin of the Upazila Model Mosque, was killed on Mar 7 in clashes between BNP and Jamaat loyalists in the Sankoa area of Mohanpur Upazila.

After the incident, the victim’s son Emran Ali filed the case, naming Raisul as the key accused along with seven others.

That same night, the homes of four BNP leaders and activists, including Raisul, were vandalised and looted, prompting two more cases.

Sub-Inspector Modashwer Hossain Khan, who is currently in charge of Mohanpur Police Station, said no one had been arrested yet as the accused were absconding.

“We are trying to arrest them,” he said, adding that police had not received any documents showing the accused had obtained bail.

Asked about the suspect being seen at the airport and allegedly attending the iftar event, he said the airport was outside Mohanpur Police Station’s jurisdiction.

“As for whether they were present at the iftar gathering, police do not have any information on that,” he said.

Mokhlesur Rahman, secretary of Kesharhat municipality Jamaat-e-Islami, questioned the police account.

“The main accused in a murder case went from the airport to the iftar gathering passing in front of Mohanpur Police Station, and police say they cannot find him. It is astonishing to us,” he said.

“It raises questions about the rule of law.”

Speaking to reporters by phone on Friday night, Raisul said he had not yet secured bail in the case, though he expected to get bail from the High Court.

When asked why he was moving about publicly with an MP and posting photos on social media without bail, he requested that the report not be published and later removed the photo from Facebook.

MP Milon said he had not recognised who had taken the selfie with him.

“There were many leaders and activists at the airport. I did not realise who took a selfie with me,” he said.

He also said Alauddin had died of a heart attack, and questioned the basis of the murder case.

“The murder case is not correct. Let the post-mortem report come first. Then it will be known how he died,” the MP said.