Charge sheet soon, but key suspect still 'on the run'

Two years after the murder of former SP Babul Akter's wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, police are going to wrap up the investigation and file the charge sheet.

Talking to The Daily Star, officials of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) said police informer Musa Sikdar, the main accused, was her killer, but they did not reveal why he did so. His whereabouts is still “unknown”, they said.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Md Kamruzzaman of CMP, also investigation officer of the case, said, “The investigation of Mitu murder is at the final stage. We'll submit the charge sheet soon.”

When asked about the reason behind the murder, he said, “I will not disclose the motive or the name of the mastermind for the sake of fair investigation but our investigation revealed that Mitu was killed by Musa Sikdar for personal vendetta.”

He did not say that whom Musa had his grudges on.

Mitu, the wife of former superintendent of police (SP) Babul Akter, was murdered

in broad day light in Chittagong city on June 05, 2016. Kamrul Islam Musa alias Musa Sikdar, who was an informer of Babul, led the mission to stab and shoot her dead.

After the killing, Babul sued three unidentified men. And so far, detectives have arrested five persons including Musa's elder brother Saidul Sikder Shakur. The rest are Motaleb Mia Wasim, Anwar Hossain, Ehteshamul Haque alias Bhola, and Md Shahjahan.

Wasim and Anwar have given confessional statements before a court, implicating seven persons, including Musa, who directly took part in the killing.

Meanwhile, Mitu's father Mosharraf Hossain has accused Babul of being involved in the murder. “Babul planned the murder because he had an extramarital affair with one Gayetri Shen in Cox's Bazar,” he said.

“He (Babul) should be implicated in the murder case... if he is not, we will go to court.”

Investigator Kamruzzaman did not comment on the issue.

While talking to this correspondent Babul denied the allegation.

CMP Commissioner Iqbal Bahar said they investigated the allegation raised by Mitu's father but did not find Babul's involvement till now.

Of the accused, Nurul Islam Rashed and Nur Nabi, whose names were mentioned in the confessional statements, were killed in “gunfights” with police in July 2016 in Chittagong, while Musa and another accused, Kalu, are still “on the run”. CMP issued a red alert for the two with a bounty of Tk 5 lakh on Musa on June 29, 2016.

Although police said Musa is on the run, his wife Panna Akhter claimed that plainclothes police detained him and his brother Saku in Bandar area on June 22, 2016, but later only Saku was shown arrested in the case. Police brushed aside the allegation.

On June 25 last year, Babul Akter was picked up and interrogated in police custody for 15 hours. He was later relieved of his job on September 6, 2016. Babul now works at a private company.