Home boss "doesn't know" who is second arrestee

State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan once again said yesterday that two persons had been arrested in connection with the murder of blogger-writer Avijit Roy but failed to give the details about the second arrest.

A day after Shafiur Rahman Farabi, who had repeatedly issued death threats to Avijit, was arrested in Jatrabari area on March 2, the minister told reporters at his office that one more suspect was arrested by law-enforcement agency.

When The Daily Star contacted him later that day to know the details of the second arrest, he said he would inform after learning about it from the law enforcers.

Replying to a question at Dhaka Reporters Unity's meet-the-press yesterday, he again said two persons were arrested, and again could not give the identity of the second arrestee.

"Apart from Farabi, another suspect was arrested," he told reporters.

"As far as I am concerned, two persons have been arrested. But I have to check whether the second suspect was released or not," he told The Daily Star.

The investigators, however, continued claiming to have arrested only Farabi.

When asked about the state minister's claim, Deputy Commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Masudur Rahman said, "We only know that one person has been arrested."

He later told The Daily Star that a second man had been arrested on suspicion but he was released.

Addressing the meet-the-press, Asaduzzaman said the investigators were trying to arrest several suspected persons. "We have a list of suspects, and if we can arrest them, everything about the murder will be revealed."

He said the involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) did not mean that local investigators had been failed in their job.

"Avijit is a US citizen. An FBI unit works at the US embassy in Dhaka. So, they can get involved," he said, adding both sides could share necessary information about the murder.

He said one or two FBI personnel had come from the US.

He said six efficient officers led by a joint commissioner of DMP were dealing with the case and hoped that the culprits would be arrested soon.

Meanwhile, Avijit's father Prof Ajoy Roy requested the investigators to arrest all the culprits as soon as possible.

He made the request while visiting the office of the Detective Branch of DMP and talking with the investigators about his son and the murder.

"I wanted to know from them the progress of investigation. They said they would let me know if there had been any progress," Ajoy Roy told journalists.