Bachchu Murder: Suspect killed in 'shootout'

As part of JMB's plan to kill writer Shahjahan Bachchu, several members of the militant outfit rented a house in his neighbourhood months before shooting him dead, police said yesterday.

Law enforcers revealed the information hours after one of the suspects, who lived in the house, got killed in what they said was a shootout with police in Munshiganj.

The suspect, Abdur Rahman alias Lalu alias Sayed alias Akkas alias Kawsar, 34, was the military wing commander of Dhaka division of the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh, police claimed.

Police said Rahman was the one who shot and killed progressive writer Bachchu on June 11.

Rahman and three other suspects rode two motorcycles during the attack.

Police arrested Abdur Rahman at a JMB hideout in Gazipur on June 24.

Jayedul Alam, superintendent of police in Munshiganj, at a press briefing yesterday said his team recovered the firearms and one of the motorcycles used in Bachchu killing.

He added that Rahman and several other suspected JMB members rented a house in Bachchu's neighbourhood in Sirajdikhan upazila of Munshiganj three months before executing of their plan to kill him.

Although four suspects took part in the murder, two others were involved. Police have the details about them, the officer said without revealing more.

The officer said Rahman told interrogators about the rented house at Khashmahal Balurchar in Sirajdikhan. 

A team of police raided the house around 1:00am yesterday taking Rahman along, the SP said.

Sensing police presence, the suspects fled.  When the team was returning, Rahman's associates opened fire on police in a bid to snatch him from custody, the SP said.

A gunfight ensued when police retaliated, he said, adding Rahman was found lying on the ground with bullet wounds. 

The officer added that Rahman was taken to Sirajdikhan Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead.

Rahman, of Panchagarh's Debiganj, was wanted in four cases including one for murder.

The SP said sub-inspectors Belal Uddin and Hasan and Constable Mosharraf were injured in the “gunfight” and took treatment at the health complex.

When Rahman was arrested at a house in Gazipur, police recovered three pistols from his room and four bombs and 21 bullets from the kitchen.

In primary interrogation, Rahman admitted his role in the killing of Bachchu, said the SP.

Shahjahan Bachchu, 60, was acting editor of weekly Amader Bikrampur and former general secretary of Munshiganj chapter of the Communist Party of Bangladesh. Bachchu had his own publishing house “Bishaka Prokashoni”.

Afsana Begum, wife of Bachchu, told The Daily Star that she wanted justice.