Priest killing: 3 more suspects remanded

A Panchagarh court today placed three more suspects on remand in connection with two cases filed for the killing of a priest at Sri Sri Sonto Gaurio temple in Debiganj upazila.

Alamgir Hossain, 35, son of Rafiqul lslam from Kamat Para; Ramzan Ali, 22, son of Late Abul Khair from Kilganj Mashjid Para;  and Hares Ali, 35, son of Late Mozammel Huq from Kalirdanga Shotha Para of the upazila were picked up in an overnight drive conducted on Thursday and Friday.

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Judge Marzia Khatun of the Cognisance Court-2 put the trio on 10-day remand each in the murder case. They were also remanded for eight days for the case filed for allegedly possessing illegal firearms and explosives.

After police produced the suspects before the court around 12:30pm, the prosecution claimed that the three were the members of the banned militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).

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Unidentified assailants attacked the priest Jogeswar Dasadhikari, 50, of the temple in the morning on February 14 when he was preparing his offerings for the morning puja at the temple, about half a kilometre away from the upazila headquarters.
The attackers shot devotee Gopal Chandra Roy, 35, who was undergoing treatment at Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RMCH) and also hurt another devotee Nitai Das by hurling a crude bomb while escaping.   

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Jogeswar's elder brother Rabindranath Roy filed a murder case with Debiganj police accusing three unknown people on Sunday night. The police also filed a case for possessing firearms and explosives.

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On February 23, three other suspects were placed on remand in the two cases. Police claimed two of the suspects -- Khalilur Rahman and Jahangir Hossain -- are members of JMB. The third suspect, Babul Hossain, is an activist of Jamaat-e-Islami. 

Law enforcers picked up Khalil on Sunday evening from Bhaulaganj Bazar, while Jahangir and Babul were arrested at their houses in the upazila during an overnight drive.

Police sources said the arrestees were accused in criminal cases in the past.