Another life-term convict arrested over Biswajit murder

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested a convict who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the sensational Biswajit Das murder 10 years ago during the BNP-led alliance's countrywide blockade.

RAB-3 arrested Kamrul Hasan from Paltan, Dhaka on Sunday (17 July). The elite force disclosed the information to the media on Monday.

Earlier on Friday (15 July), fugitive convict Alauddin, who was also sentenced to life in prison in the same case, was arrested from Shibganj, Bogura.

"On the day of the incident, a group of miscreants chased Biswajit assuming he was a member of the opposition team," said RAB.

The accused in the murder case fled the scene after beating Biswajit mercilessly, who later died due to excessive bleeding.

"After the case was registered, Kamrul went into hiding and took shelter at his maternal grandfather's house in India. He returned to Bangladesh two months after the charge sheet was filed against him," the statement added.

The arrestee, Kamrul, lived in Dhaka with his family until his father's death in 1994, and moved to his hometown later on.

After passing HSC from Nabinagar, Brahmanbaria, Kamrul got admission in a college in Dhaka to study bachelors in 2005. He married one of his classmates six years later.

According to RAB, Kamrul fled to a neighbouring country after the killing of Biswajit but returned home in 2013, and lived in Dhanmondi with his wife.

He opened a garment business using a fake name. Then, he got involved with Khokon and Sohel – two masterminds with whom he earned around Tk50 lakh selling leaked questions of different recruitment tests from 2014 to 2021.

He started a hotel business in Cox's Bazar with his illegal earnings, which was closed after incurring losses due to the pandemic, and became unemployed.

On 9 December 2012, tailoring shop employee Biswajit was chopped to death by some Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists near Bahadur Shah Park in Old Dhaka during the BNP-led alliance's countrywide road blockade programme.

Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 sentenced eight BCL activists to death and 13 others to life imprisonment in the murder case on 18 December 2013.

On appeal against the order in the lower court, the High Court upheld the death sentence of two of the eight convicts, commuted the death sentence of four to life imprisonment and acquitted the other two on 6 August 2017.

In addition, two of the 13 convicts who appealed for life imprisonment were acquitted.