Cops release video of six suspects

Analysing CCTV footage of last year's Amar Ekushey Book Fair, Dhaka Metropolitan Police claims to have detected six suspected killers of Bangladesh-born US citizen Avijit Roy.

The DMP yesterday posted seven video clips, captured right before Avijit was murdered on the Dhaka University campus, on its official Facebook page and sought information that could lead to the arrest of the six youths.

The suspects are encircled in red in the clips.

One of the seven videos was released earlier. In that video, police identified one as Sharif alias Saleh alias Arif and said he was a suspect in the Avijit murder. He was later killed in “crossfire” in Khilgaon area of the city on June 19 this year. 

Sharif topped a list of six Ansarullah Bangla Team members on whom police had declared a bounty a month before the incident.

The caption of video clips posted yesterday said, “The people encircled in the footage are suspects in the Avijit murder case. Dhaka Metropolitan Police seeks cooperation from the city dwellers in arresting them.”

If anyone has any information on the suspects, he or she has been requested to contact the DMP through its Facebook page or Hello CT mobile app.

Mashruqure Rahman Khaled, deputy commissioner of Detective Branch (south division) of the DMP, yesterday told The Daily Star,” We have detected six suspects after analysing CCTV footage. The clips show that the killers took position at the book fair gate before the murder.

“One of them [Sharif] was killed in a police shootout. We are trying to collect information about the others,” he said.

ALSO READ: CCTV footage shows ‘killer’ apparently following Avijit: Cops

Contacted, Avijit's father, Prof Ajoy Roy, said, “Sometimes, police say three of the killers [of Avijit] fled the country. Again, sometimes they say the killers are under their watch.”

“Peace will not return to our family unless the real killers are brought to book,” he said. “We demand nothing but justice.”

On the night of February 26 last year, two unidentified assailants hacked to death Avijit and badly wounded his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya when they were walking through a footpath along the Suhrawardy Udyan in the city. They had just come out of the book fair.

CCTVs, installed on the fair premises, captured the six suspects. Those, however, did not cover the murder scene.

CCTV CLIPS

At the first of the seven CCTV footage, three youths, who according to police are suspects, are seen encircled in red.

One of them, who had been described as Sharif by police in the past, is apparently seen following Avijit and Bonya on the footpath along the Suhrawardy Udyan. Later, two other suspects -- one with a bag and the other wearing glasses -- start to walk together with the first suspect.

In the second footage, the couple is seen coming out of the fair premises and three youths, apparently the previous three youths, follow them. 

The third footage shows a youth in Panjabi roaming near the gate of the fair venue at Suhrawardy Udyan. He also sits on a chair there and apparently waits for someone else.       

The fourth footage shows a youth on a bicycle entering the fair premises moments before a youth, apparently seen in the third footage, arrives at the gate.

In the fifth footage, a man wearing a white shirt is seen encircled in red. He is also seen walking out of the fair premises.

The bike rider was seen coming out of the fair premises in the sixth footage.

In the last footage, a youth, apparently who was waiting at the entrance to the fair, is seen going inside the fair along with two other suspects.