MP Anar's murder: 'extremist' Shimul Bhuiyan's associate arrested

Detective police have arrested another individual from Jessore in connection with the murder of member of parliament Anwarul Azim Anar.

The person, Saiful Alam Molla Member, was detained from a fish hatchery in the Chanchra Bablatola area of Jessore city on Tuesday night, said SI Md Mofizul Islam of the Detective Branch or DB.

Saiful Member is an associate of Shimul Bhuiyan, a leader of the extremist outfit Purbo Banglar Communist Party who has been arrested on murder charges. He is the son of Kashem Molla from Dattagati village in Abhaynagar Upazila.

Anar, a three-time MP from Jhenaidah-4 and president of the Awami League in Kaliganj Upazila, went to India for medical treatment on May 11.

Initially, he stayed at the house of his friend, a gold merchant Gopal Biswas, in Baranagar, Kolkata. However, he went missing after leaving from there.

Later, Gopal filed a GD at the local police station, triggering investigations in both countries. On the morning of May 22, Indian media reported that MP Anar had been murdered in a house in New Town.

Based on information provided by Indian police, detective police in Bangladesh arrested three individuals. They were also taken into remand for interrogation.

The three are Amanullah Said alias Shimul Bhuiyan alias Shihab alias Fazl Mohammad Bhuiyan, 56, Tanvir Bhuiya, 30, and Celesti Rahman, 22.

DB police’s SI Mofizul said that Saiful Member used to be in the fish business. Following this lead, he came here five days ago and was in hiding. He is currently being interrogated.