3 arrested over Cumilla Jubo League leader murder

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested three people in connection with the murder of Jubo League leader Jamal Hussain in Cumilla.

"RAB arrested Ismail Hossain, 36, Sohel Sikder, 46 and Md Shah Alam, 38 from Chattogram and Dhaka. They are all named as accused in the case filed over the murder. Ismail was arrested from Agrabad in Chattogram and the other two were nabbed from Rayerbagh and Kalshi in Dhaka," Lieutenant Colonel Tanveer Mohammad Pasha, the company commander of RAB-11 CPC-1, said during a press conference on Sunday (7 May). 

The arrested accused said that there was a dispute between them and the slain Jubo League leader for many days. However, none of the arrestees admitted their involvement in the murder.

"The shooters have been identified. However, for the sake of investigation, their names cannot be disclosed," the RAB official added. 

According to the law enforcement agency, there are three cases including two murder charges against Ismail, nine cases including three murder charges against Sohail Sikder and 10 cases including one murder charge against Shah Alam.

RAB said that five of those named in the statement are abroad.

"Accused no 1 and 2, Sujan and Arif are in Nepal, accused no 5 Badal is in Dubai, accused no 6 Shakeel is in India, and Accused no 8 Ali Hasan is in Saudi Arabia. Accused no 9 Kala Moni is in hiding. Some of them left the country before and after the murder took place," Lieutenant Colonel Tanveer Mohammad Pasha said. 

RAB analysed 13 CCTV footages before making the arrests. 

"In the footage, three people dressed in burqas are seen coming out through the alley of Baja Madrasa in Gouripur. An autorickshaw moves ahead of them. After some time, the accused Ismail was seen at the place where the murder took place. Ismail is seen talking to Jamal from the autorickshaw. Then a man wearing a lungi and cap took Jamal along with a few others to an alley next to the shop. A little while after entering the street, Jamal came out and stopped in front of the shop for two or three seconds before stepping forward. As they came forward, another auto-rickshaw that was standing moved ahead and followed," RAB said. 

"Before the murder, Jamal caught a man wearing a burqa. Another is seen kicking Jamal to the ground. Then the shooting started. Some people chased them while they were running away. At that time, the gunmen pointed back guns and the chasers retreated. One's mask came off while running away. His gun fell from his hand. Another picked it up. When the burqa came off, the short hair of one of the gunmen can be seen. By looking at the hair we determined the attackers were men. Then they returned to the same place by a slightly different route. A blurry footage from there shows them without burqas," Lieutenant Colonel Tanveer Mohammad Pasha said. 

The burqas were later found from a water body.

Jamal Hossain, the joint convener of Titas Upazila Jubo League, was killed at Gouripur Bazar in Daudkandi of Cumilla on Sunday (30 April ) around 8pm.

Three burqa-clad men shot him dead. Jamal used to do business in the Gauripur market of nearby Daudkandi upazila. He lived in a rented house near the market.

The deceased's wife Popi Akhter filed a case at Daudkandi police station on Tuesday (2 May).

Before Jamal's murder, there were separate murders in Titas and Daudkandi's Gouripur market. Locals believe that all the murders are linked.