Govt moves to confiscate property

The government has traced land, worth around Tk 50 crore, owned by some fugitive killers of Bangabandhu and their families in seven districts of the country, sources in the Directorate of Registration said.
The Directorate of Registration under law ministry identified the property to help the government confiscate those in line with the law, since the killers did not return to the country to face the trial.
The killers now absconding are Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, Nur Chowdhury, Rashed Chowdhury, Abdul Mazed and Moslehuddin Khan.
Two of them are now in the US and Canada while the government has no clue to the whereabouts of the rest four.
Law Minister Shafique Ahmed told The Daily Star that the taskforce, which was formed to bring the fugitives back, in its forthcoming meeting, would examine how much property the killers and their families own and then confiscate those in accordance with relevant law.
He said such confiscation would be a punishment to the killers and bring satisfaction to the people.
The government had been trying its best to bring the absconding killers back to the country through diplomatic channel and Interpol, the law minister said.
Seeking anonymity, an official at the Directorate of Registration told The Daily Star that some of the property were still in the possession of a few absconding killers of Bangabandhu.
He, however, refused to disclose the names of the killers, who are still enjoying the property, saying that they might either sell or transfer the pieces of land if their names were made public.
The official hoped that they would be able find more land property of the convicted killers and their family members.
Contacted, Inspector General of Registration Khan Md Abdul Mannan refused to comment on the property of the killers and their relatives.
The Directorate of Registration has identified land property of 144 decimals at Gheor in Manikganj, 15.75 decimals at Srinagar in Munshiganj, 258.50 decimals at Bhairab, 292 decimals at Kuliarchar in Kishoreganj, 772.75 decimals at Chandina in Comilla, 74.5 decimals at Begumganj in Noakhali, 10 decimals at Kushtia Sadar upazila, 636 decimals at Borhanuddin in Bhola and 812 decimals at Sutrapur in Dhaka belonging to the killers and their families.
On November 21, 2012, the taskforce led by the law minister decided in a meeting to confiscate the property of the six fugitive convicted killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In 2009, the Supreme Court had upheld the death penalty for 12 killers, including the six absconding. Of the 12, Syed Farooq Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Mohiuddin Ahmed were executed on January 27, 2010. Another convict Aziz Pasha died in Zimbabwe in 2001.
The trial of Bangabandhu killing commenced in Dhaka in 1997.
On August 15, 1975, disgruntled army personnel had killed the Father of the Nation and most of his family members.