They were wanted
The three bodies, recovered on the bank of the Turag River on Tuesday, are of a Juba Dal leader and his two bodyguards, police said yesterday.
They were identified as Mizanur Rahman, Juba Dal president of Sakoria union in Jhalakathi, and his bodyguards Forkan Ahmed of Rajapur upazila in Jhalakathi, and Nazmul Huq Murad of Kaukhali in Pirojpur.
Police said the three were on the run for the last few months as they had been accused in several murder and extortion cases filed with different police stations in Dhaka, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur and Khulna.
Navy personnel arrested Mizan with firearms in 1995 after a gunfight with a pirate gang in the Sundarbans. He was a member of the gang at that time.
Mizan was later released from Khulna jail on a High Court bail.
Shamsul Huq, officer-in-charge of Rajapur Police Station, said Mizan was a listed criminal and accused in six cases on various charges including murder, extortion and assault on police.
“He was involved in arms smuggling and drug peddling in Jhalakathi. Forkan was his associate and an accused in several cases,” Shamsul said.
Sources said Mizan, Murad and Forkan came to Dhaka after the last caretaker government assumed power and got involved in criminal activities.
In 2005, Mizan's brother-in-law Babu Molla was killed by his rivals in the capital's Mirpur area.
Mizan's uncle Abul Hossain said Mizan was killed by the members of a rival group.
"A gang of criminals riding two microbuses picked up Mizan, Forkan and Murad from Uttara and killed them", he said.
Stray dogs sniffed out the three decomposed bodies on the bank of the Turag river on Tuesday. Mohammadpur police recovered the bodies and sent those to Dhaka Medical College Morgue for autopsy.
The bodies were handed over to the relatives of the victims last night.
The three were strangled with their hands and legs tied with ropes, said morgue sources.
Police were yet to ascertain the motive behind the killings. None was arrested.
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