AL leader stabbed to death in hotel

A Chandpur Awami League leader was killed by unidentified criminals in a local hotel yesterday.

The dead, Rafiqullah, 70, was a member of the district AL.

He was murdered around 6:30pm in a room at Safina Residential Hotel in Chandpur's Natun Bazar area, according to the victim's personal assistant and police.

Miraz Hossain, the personal assistant, said he went out for Maghrib prayers, leaving Rafiqullah alone in his room.

He added that when he returned, he found Rafiqullah unconscious and bloodied from stab wounds.

After Miraz screamed for help, locals rushed in and took Rafiqullah to Chandpur Sadar Government General Hospital, where the on-duty doctors declared him dead.

According to locals, he was married but used to live in the hotel alone for a long time.

They added that he was a hotelier and had many other different kinds of businesses. Someone may have killed him over issues regarding those.

Ajay Kumar Bhowmik, secretary of agriculture and cooperative affairs of Chandpur AL, said, "It must have been a planned murder. Otherwise, it could not be possible to know when he was alone in the room."

He added that the hotel Rafiqullah was living in was built by his father Hedayet Ullah.

"It seems unusual that he was killed in the evening, despite people and relatives being nearby [given that the hotel is in a crowded area]."

Speaking to The Daily Star, Sudipto Ray, additional superintendent of police of Chandpur, said there were stab wounds in Rafiqullah's lower abdomen and injuries on different parts of his body.

Asked about the number of the criminals involved, he said there was no eyewitnesses or CCTVs in the hotel to ascertain that yet.

"We have, however, managed to collect footage from CCTVs near the hotel and we are now analysing those."

He further said, "We have also detained the hotel caretaker for interrogation," adding, "We are hopeful about solving case soon."

Meanwhile, the body was sent to the hospital morgue for autopsy.