7-murder: Another Rab man held

A member of Rapid Action Battalion was detained in Dhaka in connection with the sensational seven-murder in Narayanganj late in April. 

A Rab team arrested Purnendu Bala, also a sub-inspector, from the capital around 1:25pm yesterday, Mufti Mahmud Khan, director of the legal and media wing of Rab, claimed this morning.

On the other hand, Narayanganj Superintendent of Police Khandaker Mahid Uddin, claimed that detectives detained Bala yesterday morning.

Talking to The Daily Star, the Rab official said Bala was handed over to Detective Branch of police, which is dealing with the case at present.

"Bala did not join his work after the gruesome killings. We found him yesterday and detained," Mufti said.

With Bala, 10 Rab members were held in the Narayanganj seven murder including the city panel mayor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker, the SP said.

Nazrul, his driver and three associates, and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and his driver were abducted separately but around the same time on April 27 from Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road. Their bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya a few days later.

Earlier on August 27, five Rab men were arrested in connection with the murders and placed them on five-day remand.

The five told the court that they had been forced to get involved in the abduction and killing by their superior officers -- Lt Col Tareque Sayeed Mohammad, Maj Arif Hossain and Lt Commander MM Rana -- who had been arrested earlier.

The Rab men confessed to their involvement with the killings before a Narayanganj court. 

However, another member of Rab-11, Shihab Uddin, was arrested in this connection recently, SP Khandaker said.

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

Amid an uproar over the allegation, the High Court on May 5 ordered the government to keep the elite force away from the probe.

It also directed the government to form a seven-member committee led by an additional secretary of the public administration ministry to investigate the brutal murders.

Nazrul’s wife Selina Islam filed a murder case accusing Nur Hossain prime accused who was arrested in Kolkata, India, on June 14 for intruding into the country. He is now in an Indian jail and is facing trial for illegal entry.

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