Azim Murder: Babu confesses meeting hitman over blood money
Accused Kazi Kamal Ahmed Babu admitted to court that he was involved in the murder of Jhenaidah-4 MP Anwarul Azim Anar.
Babu, relief and social welfare affairs secretary of Jhenaidah Awami League, admitted to having communications on WhatsApp with Amanullah alias Shimul Bhuiyan, on May 16, a day after Amanullah returned to Bangladesh from Kolkata after the killing.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The duo then met in a vehicle on the Bhanga Expressway in Faridpur on May 17 to settle how the blood money will be paid.
They also exchanged photos of murdered MP Azim. The meeting was held in the vehicle of Amanullah. Babu then assured him of paying a portion of the blood money on May 23.
The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police disclosed the summary of Babu's interrogation in the investigation progress report to a Dhaka court yesterday.
Mahfuzur Rahman, assistant commissioner of the DB, also investigation officer of Azim abduction case, appealed for recording Babu's confessional statement.
Following the petition, Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Jasim recorded his statement. The court later sent Babu, also a cousin of Aktaruzzaman, one of the masterminds of the murder, to jail.
Besides Babu, three others -- Amanullah, his nephew Tanvir Bhuiyan, and Celesty Rahman, a friend of Aktaruzzaman -- earlier gave confessional statements in the case. They are now in jail.
A court source quoted Babu as saying that Azim was elected lawmaker from Jhenaidah-4 (Kaliganj) three times in a row.
Saidul Karim Mintu, general secretary of Jhenaidah AL, who is close to Babu, did not get the party ticket for the national polls. That's why a plan was made to clear his path to party nomination.
The source said Mintu, who is now on an eight-day remand in DB custody, tried to get the party ticket from the constituency in the last two national polls, but was not able to secure it due to Azim.
In 2022, Azim also wanted to become district AL general secretary. For this, there was a rivalry between the two.
Even on June 5, Babu filed a general diary with Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station, alleging that his three mobile phones were stolen, but those were with Mintu, investigators said.
Mintu gave Babu the idea so that police could not get the trace of communications between Babu and Amanullah.
Mintu even joined different programmes to get the AL ticket for the by-election in the constituency even before the government declared the seat vacant, sources said.
Ashraful Alam, Kaliganj municipality mayor, told The Daily Star, "The district general secretary has long been trying to get the AL ticket."
Azim went to Kolkata on May 12 and stayed at a friend's home for a night. He left the following day, saying that he would visit a doctor.
On May 22, India and Bangladesh police said the lawmaker was murdered.
Harun Or Rashid, additional commissioner (DB) of the DMP, said Mintu had a desire to become a lawmaker from the Jhenaidah-4 constituency.
"Amanullah worked for Akhtaruzzaman as the coordinator of the killing and Babu worked for Mintu to maintain communication with the killers," he added.
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