Ex-MP Mofiqul arrested in Aftab murder case

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police yesterday arrested former BNP lawmaker Mofiqul Hasan Tripti from his Banani residence in the capital, in connection with the 2006 murder of Prof Aftab Ahmed, former vice-chancellor of National University.

CID's Special Superintendent SM Enamul Kabir last night said they arrested Mofiqul as his name came up in a confessional statement made by one of the four suspected accused before a court in 2008.

The four arrested earlier are Shoib Saif Dicon, top criminal Sanjidul Islam Emon, Humayun Kabir Mollah and Saleh Ahmed Sujon.

Asked what Mofiqul's motive was as per the confessional statement of the accused, the CID official said Mofiqul hired someone to kill the professor.

He however said top criminal Emon in the confessional statement revealed that when he was on the run in India, he heard from “someone” that several people were involved with Aftab murder and the murderers received bounty from Mofiqul.

His wife Shukria Kamal claimed that Mofiqul is on bail from the High Court in the case, but police arrested him around 6:00pm.

On September 23, 2006, three unidentified youths shot Prof Aftab, a senior professor of political science at Dhaka University (DU), entering his Fuller Road residence on DU campus.

He was rushed to Samorita Hospital with two bullet wounds and later transferred to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), where he succumbed to his injuries four days later.