Police arrest six people for ‘inciting’ crowd, spreading ‘blasphemy’ rumour against Dipu

The grisly murder has been followed by 18 arrests

Police have arrested six more people in connection with the grisly murder of Dipu Chandra Das, who was beaten to death and burned in Mymensingh’s Bhaluka.

Abdullah Al Mamun, an additional police superintendent, said the new arrests were made around Wednesday midnight by the Detective Branch.

The six suspects allegedly incited the factory staff and spread rumours that Dipu had “blasphemed”.

After the killing, police said the murder occurred after Dipu’s colleagues had handed him over to an enraged crowd.

The colleagues had allegedly also forced Dipu, a readymade garment factory worker, to resign before inciting the mob on him.

With the latest, the total arrests over the gruesome murder rose to 18, according to a media statement from the district police office.

The arrested six new suspects are Takbir, 22, identified with a single name, Ruhul Amin, 42, Nur Alam, 33, Shamim Mia, 28, Selim Mia, 22, and Masum Khalashi, 23.

Dipu was beaten to death on Dec 18. His attackers accused him of “blasphemy”, of which police later said there was no evidence. After the murder, the mob hung Dipu’s body from a tree along the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and set fire to it.

Police recovered Dipu’s half-charred body at 2:30am.

On Dec 19, a case was filed over the murder.

Police are conducting drives to arrest more suspects.