Two more detained

Rangpur police yesterday detained two private bank employees from Rajshahi for questioning in the murder of Japanese national Kunio Hoshi.

Shushanto Chandra Roy, spokesperson for Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, confirmed the detention of the two -- Shahriar and Nahid.

Both Shahriar and Nahid are employees of a Brac Bank branch in Rajshahi. Shahriar is a credit card officer there and Nahid a sales and service officer, according to sources at the bank.

They are colleagues of Jahangir Alam Bulbul, brother-in-law of Humayun Kabir Hira, who is one of the two suspects remanded by police in connection with Kunio's murder.

Rangpur police detained Bulbul's father-in-law, sister-in-law and her husband on Thursday. Bulbul has gone into hiding.

Police sources, requesting anonymity, said cops are looking for Bulbul to question him over Kunio's visit to India several months ago. They said Hira had referred Hoshi to Bulbul to help the Japanese man get an Indian visa. Shahriar and Nahid thus got involved in the process to help Kunio out.

Contacted, Zara Jabeen Mahbub, head of communications at Brac Bank, said, "The Brac Bank employees have been detained for questioning not in connection with the killing, but in connection with someone who perhaps is associated with the killing."

Hira's wife Sultana Khatun said Rangpur police yesterday detained her cousin Sweet from Pabna for questioning over the murder.

Alamgir Kabir, superintendent of police (SP) in Pabna, said he's aware that Rangpur police were conducting an operation in his area but he's not aware of the reasons behind it.

Rangpur's SP Abdur Razzaq, however, declined to meet journalists.

Meanwhile, families have alleged that police detained three others from Rangpur on Thursday for quizzing over the murder.

They are Abdur Rashid, 40; Abed, 35; Abdullah, 21. Their families are still in the dark about their whereabouts.

Rashid and Abed are poor farmers who used to work at Hoshi's farm in Alutari village.

Mallika, Rashid's wife, alleged that five to six men posing as detectives picked up her husband around 1:30am. She said they promised her to bring him back soon after questioning.

“I cannot understand how farmers who once worked for the slain man's grass farm could help find the murderers?” asked Mallika.

Monwara, Abed's wife, said, “Dozens of people worked at the farm. Is it a crime to work there?”

None of them were produced before a court even though 24 hours have passed since they were picked up.

Lawyer ZI Khan Panna said it was illegal and unlawful under the laws of the country to keep someone in custody without having him produced before a court.

Rangpur police also detained Monnaf, Murad and Zakariya Bala for questioning soon after Kunio was gunned down.

Though Kaunia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rezaul Karim claimed to have released Murad Hossain and Monnaf Ali, their families refuted his claim.

“Murad is still in police custody,” said his elder sister Nurjahan.

Monnaf, a rickshaw puller, used to take Hoshi to his grass farm. Hira also gave Hoshi rides on his motorbike and was one of them who brought him to a hospital after he was shot. Hira has his own fishery project near Hoshi's farm.

Hoshi stayed in Zakariya Bala's house whenever he was in Kaunia. He has not been released yet.

Cops took Zakariya's wife Ayesha in custody from Rangpur Medical College and Hospital where she went to attend her husband who had suffered a "cardiac arrest" following police detention.

The couple are still in police custody, according to Zakariya's niece Akifa Akhter.

(Our Rajshahi and Pabna correspondents contributed to this report.)