APBn arrests Mohib Ullah murder suspect

Armed Police Battalion has arrested the chief commander of so-called Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Ulama branch), who issued the fatwa for the assassination of Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah.

Zokoria, 55, was arrested in Lambasia camp-1 of Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar.

APBn members held Zokoria after a four-month effort.

He went into hiding during a raid on the camp area after Mohib Ullah's assassination, confirmed SP Naimul Haque, commander of the 14th Armed Police Battalion, yesterday.

Zokoria had a rivalry with Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah. He is considered the top adviser to the Rohingya camp's perpetrators, said the official.

SP Naimul also said Zokoria came to Bangladesh from Myanmar in 2015. Later, he went back there again. As a refugee in 2016, he started living in the Lambasia area. Since 2020, he has been serving as the chief commander of the Ulama branch of so-called ARSA in the Kutupalong camp.

Legal procedure is underway against him, he added.

So far, 10 Rohingya men have been arrested in this case. Of them, two gave confessional statements of involvement in the murder before the court.

Commander of APBn-14 SP Naimul Haque said during primary interrogation of the accused, the suspect spoke of a total of 19 Rohingya miscreants being involved in the murder plan, "and of them, five, including him, were members of the killing squad".

On September 29 last year, another arrestee Murshid called Mohib to the latter's office to discuss Rohingya repatriation issues and informed other members of the squad, said SP Naimul.

They fired four shots at Mohib Ullah, he said, adding that they fled the scene using a lane behind Mohib Ullah's house.

On September 30, police filed a case over Mohib Ullah's murder, following a complaint from his brother Habib Ullah.

On August 25, 2019, Mohib Ullah came to the limelight as a leader after holding an assembly of around five lakh Rohingyas.