Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch chief Harun-or-Rashid on Sunday claimed that they were facing no pressure over the arrest of ruling Awami League Jhenaidah district unit general secretary Saidul Karim Mintu in connection with the AL lawmaker for Jhenaidah-4 Anwarul Azim Anar murder in India鈥檚 West Bengal over a month ago.
Harun, also DMP additional police commissioner, made the remarks while talking to reporters at the DB office on the capital鈥檚 Minto Road.
Asked whether the DB was facing any pressure after the arrest of Saidul Karim Mintu, Harun said, 鈥楾he DMP DB team revealed the motives behind sensational murders in Dhaka city, including Tipu murder in Motijheel, industrialist murder in Kamrangirchar and Fardin murder. Lawmaker Anar was murdered in India鈥檚 Kolkata city and the DB team is working tirelessly to find out the clues. Our team went to Nepal and Siam was arrested following our information.鈥�
He said that they had also helped Indian authorities to collect evidence while visiting India.
鈥榃e have arrested main killer Shimul Bhuiyan and others in connection with the murder case. Four accused gave confessional statements to the court. If we had faced pressure, we wouldn鈥檛 have these successes,鈥� he said, adding that the home minister had directed them to investigate the case neutrally.
He claimed that the DB was investigating the case impartially and assured that no innocent people would be framed or unnecessary called for questioning.
Harun also said that the investigation officer would interrogate only those people about whom there was specific information.
Asked whether the DB was trying to recover the mobile phones that Jhenaidah AL leader Qazi Kamal Ahmed Babu threw away as instructed by Mintu, which was revealed by Kamal鈥檚 statement, Harun said, 鈥楧uring interrogation we found that evidence was destroyed. We have also sent a letter to the court for further interrogation as Gas Babu鈥檚 mobile phone contains digital evidence.鈥櫬�
He said that they needed to further interrogate Gas Babu to recover those mobile phones.
Replying to another question regarding why Mintu was sent to jail before completion of his 8-day remand in police custody, Harun-or-Rashid said that there was no breach of law in this regard as it depends on the satisfaction of the investigation officer who decides whether or not to continue interrogation.
鈥業f any investigation officer thinks that he has nothing further to know from the accused through interrogation, he may send the accused to the court,鈥� he added.
Asked when lawmaker Anar鈥檚 daughter Dorin would go to India for DNA test, he said that he was informed that Dorin fell ill with fever for the past few days.
鈥楽he will leave Dhaka after recovery,鈥� he added.
聽On May 22, Kolkata detectives confirmed that Anar was murdered.
The CID West Bengal recovered bones from a spot on the bank of a canal near Polerhat in North 24 Parganas around 15 kilometres away from the New Town apartment where Anar was reportedly murdered and his body was dismembered, according to Indian media reports.
On May 28, the Kolkata CID recovered four kilogram of flesh from a septic tank of Sanjeeva Garden in Kolkata.
Lawmaker Anwarul鈥檚 daughter Mumtarin Ferdous Dorin filed a case on May 22 with the capital鈥檚 Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police, alleging that her father was abducted with the intent of murder.
Earlier on June 11, detectives detained Jhenaidah AL district unit general secretary Saidul Karim Mintu from the capital鈥檚 Dhanmondi area in connection with the case.
He was sent to jail following an eight-day remand in police custody.
On June 14, AL Jhenaidah district unit relief and social welfare secretary Qazi Kamal gave confessional statement to a Dhaka court.
Earlier, Syed Amanullah Aman alias Shimul Bhuiyan, his associate Tanvir Bhuiyan, and Celesty Rahman gave confessional statements in the court. They are currently in jail.