Rab official 'helped Nur Hossain flee'

Col Ziaul Ahsan, additional director general of the Rapid Action Battalion, helped Nur Hossain flee to Kolkata, alleged the father-in-law of slain Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam yesterday.
Shahidul Islam alias Shahid chairman claimed that Col Zia ensured "safe passage" for Nur Hossain, the principal accused in the sensational Narayanganj seven-murder case, in order to save the Rab from repercussions as the elite force's involvement in the abductions and murders has become clear.
The Rab official, however, refuted the allegation.
In support of his claim, Shahid referred to a newspaper report in which Zia had claimed that Nur fled to Kolkata three days after the incident and the Rab was trying to bring him back. The report quoted Zia as saying that they were examining whether Nazrul's father-in-law was involved in the incident.
"It is Colonel Zia who helped him [Nur] with safe passage. They all now want to save the Rab," Shahid told The Daily Star, holding a copy of the newspaper report.
Referring to the fact that the accused Rab officials were not arrested even after a High Court order, he said, "What does it mean? It means the Rab is trying to save the accused."
On April 27, Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam and his four aides and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and his driver were kidnapped from the Dhaka-Narayanganj link road at around the same time in broad daylight.
Six bodies, including that of Nazrul and Chandan, were found floating in the Shitalakkhya river on April 30, and another was found the following day.
Shahid said though the law enforcing agencies had been requested to arrest Nur Hossain and a case had been filed against him, the law enforcers did not arrest him. Instead, they said Nur was under their watch.
"How did he escape under their watch then? It raises suspicions," he said.
Col Ziaul admitted that Nur is currently in Kolkata.
Asked how they got to know of Nur's location, he said, "We came to know this because this is what we do."
He also said the Rab was trying to bring him back from India.