Manpower agent, gang still at large

Fifteen days after the murder of an elderly woman in Keraniganj, police are yet to arrest the killers while the victim's family is receiving threats from the culprits and begging for justice.
Freedom fighter Rezaul Karim, elder brother of the victim, appealed to the government for justice at a press conference held in Dhaka Reporters' Unity office yesterday.
Manpower agent Iqbal of Bhawal Manoharia and his gang severely beat up Shahana Begum, 45, of Hijla, at her house on November 21. The incident happened as Shahana's son Selim sought to recover Tk 5.5 lakh from Iqbal, which he took in 2008 for making arrangements to send Selim to Italy.
Shahana Begum succumbed to her injuries at Mitford Hospital on December 16.
Rezaul Karim said the killers being very influential are still at large in the area and threatening them so that they (complainants) withdraw the murder case.
Following the incident the victim's family filed a case with Keraniganj Police Station accusing fraud manpower agent Iqbal and his accomplices Jonny, son of Taranagar union parishad Chairman Liakat Ali, Hazrat Ali and five to six others, he said.
They later identified another accomplice Rubel, son of Dhaka district Awami League member Abdul Gafur, and included him as an accused, he added.
Under the influence of AL member Gafur and UP chairman Liakat, police are playing a controversial role in apprehending the accused, said Rezaul Karim adding that Gafur recently sent his son Rubel to Japan though they repeatedly requested police to arrest him before he could leave.
"I was addressing a rally on the Victory Day when the news came that my sister was killed by a fraud," said the freedom fighter in a shattered voice.
"I don't want the money anymore. I demand punishment to the killers," he said.
Contacted, Officer-in-charge Asaduzzaman of Keraniganj Police Station said they arrested two of Iqbal's accomplices but they were not accused in the case.
On police's failure to arrest the real culprits he said the accused were all absconding.