3 more Rab men involved

Investigators have found that three more Rab men were involved in the sensational seven-murder in Narayanganj.

Inspector Mamunur Rashid Mandal, investigating officer of the murder case, said their names came up while grilling the already arrested members of Rapid Action Battalion.

Those who testified in the case also spoke about the trio's involvement in the crime, he added.

“The three were involved both in the abduction and the killing of the seven people,” mentioned Mamunur, also an inspector of Detective Branch of police in Narayanganj.

Meanwhile, detectives last afternoon picked up another former member of Rab-11 in Magura in connection with the case.

The detainee is Nuruzzaman, a sepoy who was forced into retirement from the army after the seven-murder.  He has been doing business in Magura over the last few months, said Officer-in-Charge Jahangir Alam of Magura Sadar Police Station.

Earlier on Monday night, detectives arrested assistant sub-inspectors Bazlur Rahman and Abul Kalam Azad and habilder Nasir Uddin. They, however, declined to give further details on the arrests.

The trio were posted at Rab-11 in late April this year when the grisly murder took place. They are now with Rab-7, Rab-11 and Rab-13.

The Rab headquarters in a press note yesterday claimed that Narayanganj police issued a letter to Rab on November 19, requesting the elite force to send the three cops there for quizzing.

“We sent the three Rab men to the office of Narayanganj Detective Branch on Monday morning. They later showed the Rab men arrested in connection with the seven-murder,” said Commander Mufti Mahmud Khan, director of Rab's legal and media wing.

THREE RAB MEN REMANDED

A Narayanganj court yesterday placed the three Rab men on seven days' remand each in the murder case after investigators produced them before it seeking 10 days' remand.

Manowara Begum, senior judicial magistrate of Narayanganj, granted the remand.

With the three, police so far have arrested 14 Rab men in connection with the killings. Of them, 10 gave confessional statements in courts.

Police have also nabbed 13 civilians in two murder cases filed by the families of two victims. Three of the arrestees confessed to the crime.

So far, 14 people, including nine Rab members, testified in courts as witnesses.

Rab men's involvement in the killings came to light when victim Nazrul's father-in-law Shahidul Islam alleged that some Rab personnel had abducted and killed Nazrul in exchange for Tk 6 crore from Narayanganj ward councillor Nur Hossain and his aides.

Narayanganj city panel mayor Nazrul Islam, his driver and three associates, senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and his driver were abducted on April 27 from Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road.

Their bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya a few days later.

Nazrul's widow Selina Islam filed a murder case naming local Awami League leader Nur Hossain as the prime accused. Hossain was arrested in Kolkata on June 14 for illegal entry into the country. He is now behind bars and facing trial in a Kolkata court.

Another case was filed by Chandan Sarkar's colleague in Narayanganj.