"Shahadat, one of the masterminds of my brother's murder, is threatening me over mobile telephone to kill me and my children and blow up my house with grenade," said Kazi Afrozuddin, younger brother of slain trader Aftabuddin Ahmed.

"Shahadat also asked me to stop pursuing the murder case," Afroz told Star City.

He said Shahadat had threatened to kill their family members when Aftab was undergoing treatment at the city's Shamorita Hospital. Shahadat last time called him on January 13. "The situation is so grave that we may have to quit the country," Afroz said.

Four children of the family, three of Afroz and one of Aftabuddin, stopped going to school in fear since Aftabuddin succumbed to his bullet wounds on December 28.

Armed assailants gunned down Aftabuddin, general secretary of the traders' welfare association of Muktabangla Shopping Complex, in the morning of December 25 just 20 yards away from his residence in block- E in Mirpur Section-2.

A case has been filed with Mirpur Police Station accusing 13 people including Shahadat in connection with the murder.

Aftab's family members said a gang of criminals that included Shahadat, Khorshed and Azam carried out the murder as he refused to pay toll to the gang led by Osman, a notorious extortionist and real estate businessman, they said.

"The police can arrest the killers if they want. It depends on their sincerity," said Aftabuddin's younger sister Baby. "It is not understandable how and why the perpetrators are still at large when Mirpur police are very well aware of the criminals' position."

"What kind of a country is it where killings go on one after another while killers stay at large," resented Aftab's elderly mother, who has been deadened in grief since her son's death.

The same gang led by Shahadat killed Jahangir Alam, son of Aftab's elder sister Firoza Begum, about one year ago, family members said.

An official of Mirpur police said that they have arrested four including the prime suspect Osman and the case has been transferred to Rab-4 for further investigation.

"The difficulty in arresting the criminals lies in the fact that they use a chain of various commands in committing a crime and the masterminds never come to light," he said. "Actually, we have not found anyone who is ready to recognise Shahadat."

Kazi Md Shahidullah, owner of Prince Group and general secretary of the traders' association of Shah Ali Co-operative Market, was killed by the same group around five months back.

The group is killing Mirpur traders one after another but the law enforcers have not been able arrest the culprits, said Kazi Belal, younger brother of Shahidullah.

"It can't be acceptable that the police administration is unable to arrest such identified criminals," Belal said. "The case of Shahidullah murder can never be resolved unless and until Shahadat and Azam are caught."

Shahidullah's family sources said they had prayed to the higher authorities for transfer of the case either to the Criminal Investigation Department or to the Detective Branch as per a verbal discussion with the state minister for home affairs in November last.

The police took two months to say that the case could not be transferred as they did not receive any formal instruction.

Shahidullah's family wrote once again to the state minister for his directive a week ago.

"Reason behind such procrastination on the part of police is not understandable," said a close relative of Shahidullah. "We still receive threats of dire consequences if we pursue the case."

An official of Mirpur police said two out of seven arrested in connection with Shahidullah murder have made confessional statement under section 164, naming 10 to 12 people including Shahadat and Azam who are the masterminds.

Deputy Commissioner of west zone of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Kohinur Mian admitted that it is natural for the families to have resentments if the culprits are not put behind bars.

"But it is also a fact that police can not nab the criminals, though they are identified, if they go into hiding," Mian said. he added that the same gang was involved in both Shahiduallah and Aftabuddin murders.

Exploitation of modern telecommunication facilities by criminals in passing information creates a potential problem for police in tracking them down, he said, police have not made as much progress in Aftab murder case as in the Shahidullah case.

Following consecutive murders of the two leading traders, leaders and common businessmen of Mirpur refrain from talking about the activities of the extortionists in fear of similar fate.

"Anyone who dares to speak against the extortionists will lose his life," said the president of one of the traders' associations. "None is safe here."

According to business leaders and common traders of Mirpur, at least 20 people including five traders were killed by the Shahadat group over the last three years. Shahadat is known as a leader of Mirpur Chhatra League, they said.

"Osman, an influential man in real estate business, has masterminded many of the murders in Mirpur including those of Chandan and ward commissioner Mister," said a resident of Block-E, seeking anonymity. "He spends a great deal of money to manage police.

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The gang of Shahadat, Khorshed and Azam rose in the crime world of Mirpur under the patronage of 'Dish' Shahin and Osman, he said.