Police detain four for questioning over killing of Japanese national in Rangpur

Police have detained four people for questioning over the murder of Japanese national Kunio Hoshi in Rangpur's Kaunia Upazila.

They are Zakaria Bala, 58, his brother-in-law ‘Hira’, 48, rickshaw puller Monnaf Ali and Murad Hossain.
 
Kunio was a tenant at Bala’s house at Munshiparha and Murad, son of Alutari village’s Khoka Mia, lives in a house near to the murder spot.
 
Bala and Hira were picked up from their respective homes on Saturday afternoon, Rangpur’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Abdur Razzak told bdnews24.com.
 
Hira is a resident of Nurpur.
 
Masked assailants gunned down the 66-year-old Japanese at Alutari, five kilometres away from Rangpur town, around 11am when he was travelling to a farm on Ali’s rickshaw.
 
Murad and Ali were detained for questioning right after the murder.
 
Razzak confirmed that they were grilling the four at the Kaunia Police Station for any information related to Kunio’s murder.

Kunio knew Zakaria Bala’s two brothers who live in Japan.

Bala’s family in Rangpur had helped him set up the farm on two acres of land.

Bala told reporters, “I lived in Japan for a long time. Many of my family members still live there. Hoshi Kunio knew us from there and he was living alone as a tenant in my home.”

“Kunio came to Bangladesh on May 14. He had gone out to work in the morning like every day. I rushed to the hospital after hearing of his death,” he added.

Rickshaw puller Monnaf Ali told police that Hira owns a fishery situated beside Kunio’s grass farm. Hira used to accompany him every day, but he was not accompanying the Japanese national on Saturday.

Saying Kunio’s death was ‘tragic’, Hira told reporters, “I used to go to the farm with him every day. But he went alone today as I was busy with some urgent work.”

Earlier, SP Abdur Razzak, quoting Ali, had said, “Kunio was heading for his farm by rickshaw, when three masked assailants shot him before fleeing on a motorcycle parked beside the road.

“Murad came out from his nearby house and rushed Kunio to the hospital, but he died on the way.”

Police have recovered Kunio’s passport, which had a Bangladesh visa valid until May 2016.

“Kunio entered Bangladesh with a multiple-entry visa. He was helping to create funds through a project,” Rangpur’s Additional SP Zainul Abedin told bdnews24.com.

He said the Japanese national had recently visited India and returned to Bangladesh on Aug 28 through Burhimari border check post in Lalmonirhat.

But police were not informed about his stay in Rangpur earlier, Abedin said.

Kunio’s body was taken to the Rangpur Medical College and Hospital.