A Dhaka court today placed former lawmaker MA Awal and two others on a four-day remand each in a case filed over the killing of trader Md Shahinuddin in the city's Pallabi area on May 16.

The other accused are Zahirul Islam Babu and Nur Mohammad Hasan.

Metropolitan Magistrate Nivana Khair Jesi passed the order after Syed Iftekhar Hassan, an inspector of Detective Branch of Police, also investigation officer of the case, produced them before the court with a 10-day remand prayer.

In the remand prayer, the IO said Awal was the mastermind behind the killing and as per his direction the other accused executed the mission. Awal had an enmity with the victim over land for a long time. Since Awal failed to grab the land of the victim, he hired goons to kill Shahinuddin. The arrestees need to be remanded to learn about the whereabouts of others responsible for the crime, the IO added.

On the other hand, defence submitted separate petitions seeking bail along with cancellation of the remand prayer on grounds that their clients were implicated in the case as a part of conspiracy to harass them.

The magistrate rejected the defence pleas upon hearing both sides.

Awal, 50, a former lawmaker from Lakshmipur-1 constituency, was arrested yesterday from Bhairab area in Kishoreganj while Hasan was arrested from Haimchar area of Chandpur around 11:30pm on Wednesday and Babu from Bauphal in Patuakhali at 5am yesterday.

A day after the murder in the afternoon of May 16, the mother of victim Shahinuddin, 33, filed the case against 20 named and 13 to 14 other unnamed accused with Pallabi Police Station.

Awal was made the prime accused in the case.