Dhaka, Sep 3 (bdnews24.com)—Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has claimed to have unearthed a plan to kill three doctors following internal feud at the BNP-aligned Doctors' Association of Bangladesh.
Supporting their claim, the elite anti-crime force said it arrested a physician named Kamrul Hasan, an activist of the faction led by Mazharul Islam Dolon, who was allegedly involved in the conspiracy to kill three doctors belonging to his rival faction of DAB Secretary General AZM Zahid Hossain.
Dolon, BNP's Health Affairs Secretary and Principal of Shahbuddin Medical College, could not be reached for comment.
According to DAB members, Zahid, an Advisor to BNP Chairperson, was upstaged by Dolon over the last few years and members of the rival groups had got engaged in a scuffle during an Iftar event last Ramadan.
Kamrul, a dentist, told reporters that Dolon had given him the responsibility of killing three of his colleagues belonging to the other faction.
He made the statement when RAB produced him before journalists at a press conference at its headquarters in the afternoon. Kamrul and four others were arrested at Mirpur on Sunday night.
The other detainees are 'Mithu alias 'Proshanto', 'Joynal', 'Tusher', Mohor Ali, and 'Mostafa'.
RAB spokesman M Sohail also claimed to have recovered a pistol and a knife from their possession.
"DAB leader Dolon planned to kill orthopaedic physician Mofakhkharul Islam Rana, dentists Shariful Islam Bahar and Alamgir Kabir Ujjal to destroy his rival force. Dentist Kamrul Hasan was entrusted with the job of killing them," claimed Sohail.
"Kamrul Hasan contacted Mirpur's identified criminal Mithu alias Proshanto and decided to kill Dr Rana at first. RAB foiled two attacks made on the Rana's Mirpur chamber on Aug 11 and 12," Sohail added.
"After the effort to kill Rana failed, Kamrul contacted another criminal named Mamun and tried to kill Dr Uzzal at his Shewrapara chamber. But RAB foiled this killing attempt too," he said.
According to him, RAB kept the homes of the suspect under watch though could not arrest anyone at the time of the attack.
Sohael also claimed that they came to know from their watch that Dr Ifran also joined the plan of Dolon and pushed Kamrul for completing his job.
"DAB leader Dolon and Ifran kept him pressurising repeatedly for implementing the plan of the killing, requesting him to talk with the criminals Mithu and Mamun," said Kamrul.
Mithu and Mamun remained tight-lipped as journalists questioned them about what made them agree to be part of the murder plan.
According to Kamrul, Dolon's supporters got weaker after the Ramadan scuffle. "The killing was planned to teach Zahid group a lesson and make our own group stronger," said Kamrul, also a former member of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, BNP's student front.
He said, "Dr Dolon used to pursue me saying, 'complete the work fast, otherwise we will lose our face."
Attempts to reach Dr Dolon for his comment failed as his cell phone was found switched off.
"Dr Dolon would be brought under the purview of law, if necessary," said Commander Sohail.
Dr Rana attended the press conference and thanked RAB for resisting the attempt on his life.
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