Ekramul murder: Prime suspect Jihad remanded

A Feni court today put Jihad Chowdhury, the prime suspect in the gruesome murder of Phulgazi upazila chairman Ekramul Haq, on an eight-day remand for interrogation.

Police picked up Jihad, joint general secretary of Phulgazi Awami League and a close aide to Feni-2 AL lawmaker Nizam Hazari, in Feni town yesterday evening.

His arrest came a day after Rab produced eight suspects in the murder before the media on Saturday.

Senior Judicial Magistrate Khairul Amin passed today’s order after investigators produced Jihad before his court with a 10-day remand prayer, reports our Feni correspondent.

Meanwhile, supporters of Ekramul torched the house of Belal Hossain, general secretary of AL Anandapur union unit and also a member of the union parishad, suspecting his involvement with Tuesday’s murder.

Earlier yesterday, the same court remanded nine other suspects for eight days.

During primary interrogation, eight of the arrestees picked up by Rab confessed to the elite force that Jihad along with Abidul Islam Abid and Sohel masterminded the murder.

Abid, a cousin of Nizam Hazari, shot Ekram twice from close range with a 7.62mm pistol provided by Jihad, Rab said.

Jihad, who had rivalry with Ekram, also gave four more pistols to Shanan, Saikat, Sifat and Sunny.

They followed Abid and opened fire. After the murder, they returned the firearms to Jihad, Rab said quoting Abid.

Inspector Abul Kalam Azad, the investigation officer in the case, said illegal firearms were used in the killing.

Two other top suspects -- Sohel and Sunny -- are still on the run.

Ekram, who was also president of Phulgazi AL, was shot and then burned alive in his car in broad daylight in Feni on May 20.

His driver and three other people in the car were injured when the attackers stabbed them with sharp weapons and then beat them up.

According to the confession of the eight, Sohel, also known as "Ruti" Sohel, asked some of the attackers to set Ekram's car ablaze to ensure his death.

Abdullahil Mahmud Shiblu, councillor of ward-5 of Feni municipality, and Jihad oversaw the entire mission from some 30 yards away, Rab said, quoting an arrestee.

Shiblu surrendered to Feni police on Saturday.