5 more remanded over ASI murder

A Dhaka court today placed five more people on a six-day remand in a case filed for the murder of a police officer in the capital.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Imdadul Haque passed the order when detectives produced the accused before the court with a 10-day remand prayer.

The five are Dr Yunus Ali Akanda, Sheikh Rafi Ahmed, Khandaker Mehedi Hasan, Dr Toufiqur Rahman, and Masud Rana Rifti.

Earlier yesterday, Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Zakir Hossain Tipu put accused Masud Rana alias Sujon on a seven-day in the same case.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Ibrahim Mollah was stabbed to death by a youth on October 22 at night at a checkpoint in Gabtoli when a police team was frisking the young man's bag.

In a massive drive, police detained 31 people on October 23, including some BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami men, in Dhaka and Bogra over the killing of the police officer.

They are all part of a large gang that was planning to carry out subversive activities in the capital and elsewhere, police claimed.

Investigators claimed the youth who stabbed Ibrahim was a member of this “gang” that assembled in the city to implement their plan.

The assailant, identified as 24-year-old Kamal, travelled to the capital from Bogra several times in the last few months, they said, quoting his detained friend Masud Rana, who had accompanied him.

Masud used to stay in the Mosjid Chhatrabas, the student mess in Bogra from where cops detained the 21 students.

Around 9:00pm on Thursday, police stopped Kamal and Masud at a checkpoint in front of Parbat Cinema Hall after they got down from a bus from Bogra.

As Ibrahim was checking Kamal's bag, he stabbed the police officer and fled. Masud tried to escape but failed.