Two attacks might be ‘simultaneous’: Cop

Maruf Sheikh. Photo: STAR

The brutal attacks that killed a publisher and wounded three others in the capital today might have been carried out at the same time, police suspect.

Body of Jagriti Prokashony proprietor Faisal Arefin Dipan was recovered this evening from Aziz Super Market at Shahbagh after assailants stabbed another publisher of books along with two bloggers at Lalmatia.

Both the publishers published books written by slain blogger Avijit Roy.

“It seems that these two incidents were carried out at the same time…by probably two groups,” Sheikh Maruf Hasan, additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), told reporters at Aziz Super Market.

He, however, expressed doubt whether the assailant groups are of same ideology.

Maruf said he had witnessed the bodies and the injury marks seemed to be same fashioned.

In both incidents, the attackers entered into their offices pretending as customers and locked the doors from outside after completing their missions, the police official went on.

“No person was detained yet for interrogation,” he said, adding that different law enforcement teams were working in these connections.

Terming the recent attacks on Huseni Dalan in Old Dhaka and killings of spiritual leaders and bloggers as “different”, Maruf said they are investigating the incidents.

It needs more investigation whether the same group who killed bloggers has carried the attacks on the publishers, he said.

“We are cautious to maintain law and order to ensure security of the countrymen,” he said responding to reporters’ queries about the situation.