In a stunning allegation, Nazrul Islam's father-in-law Shahidul Islam yesterday alleged that some Rab members killed Nazrul in exchange forTk 6 crore from Nur Hossain and other accused in the abduction and murder case.
He, however, did not substantiate his claim or say how he came to know about the deal.
Contacted, Rab Legal and Media Wing Director Habibur Rahman said the force was being implicated in the crime with an ill motive.
"Investigation is on. The probe will reveal who is responsible for what," he told The Daily Star last night.
Shahidul said some workers witnessed the abductions on April 27 near Shibu Market in Narayanganj.
On the day, Narayanganj panel mayor and ward councillor Nazrul and his four aides, and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and his driver were abducted separately around the same time after they came out of the court area in two cars. Six bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya river three days later and another the next day.
Police suspect a single group was behind the crime, while Nazrul's wife Selina Islam said ward-4 Councillor Nur Hossain was responsible for the kidnap and the killing.
"A vehicle marked with Rab-11 was there at the time," Shahidul told journalists at Narayanganj Rifles Club.
Also known as Shahid Chairman, he said after the abduction he went to the Fatullah Police Station to file a case against Rab men, including its commanding officer (CO), but the police refused to take the case.
He added that he also went to the Rab-11 headquarters in Adamji to report the abduction, but the CO kept him confined for six hours there and quizzed him.
Lt Col Tareque Sayeed Mohammad was the CO of Rab-11 then. He was withdrawn following the incident.
He, however, could not be contacted for his comment.
HARTAL FOR JUSTICE
Narayanganj people yesterday observed a daylong hartal, protesting the abduction and the killing of the seven people.
Most shops and businesses were closed and there was almost no public transport on the streets, in signs of spontaneous public support for the strike.
City people and different sociopolitical organisations held protest rallies and gatherings at different points, demanding the immediate arrests of the culprits and demanding their punishment.
Angry locals also vandalised the office of Nur Hossain, the prime accused in Nazrul's abduction and killing case, around 11:00am at Badruddin Super Market at Shimrail.
"I support this hartal as I want all kinds of abduction and killing to stop. I also want that the perpetrators are arrested immediately," said Abdur Rahim, an official of a garment factory.
The hartal was called by Narayanganj district lawyers association, but the BNP, Communist Party of Bangladesh and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal extended their support to it.
Police have yet to arrest Nur, also vice-president of Siddhirganj Awami League, and Haji Mohammad Yasin, general secretary of the same unit, another main accused in the case filed
by Nazrul's wife against six people.
COPS SEIZE ANOTHER CAR
In another development, law enforcers yesterday seized a car of Nur Hossain's brother Nuruzzaman, suspecting it was used in the abduction and the killing.
It was seized around 11:30am from a glass factory, JMS Glass Industries Ltd, owned by a relative of ruling AL lawmaker Shamim Osman at Siddhirganj in Narayanganj.
Talking about the raid, Narayanganj SP Khandaker Mahid Uddin said they seized the car on suspicion and they were trying to establish if the car was used in any criminal activity.
Abdul Awal, general manager of the factory, said Nuruzzaman often used the space for parking his vehicle for a short while.
"But this time, he left the car on Friday afternoon here but did not come back to take it," he said.
Shamim Osman's uncle-in-law Shamsuddin Ahmed is the managing director of the factory.
NO TRACE OF NUR
Earlier on Saturday, police raided Nur Hossain's house at Shimrail and seized a microbus and detained 11 people from there.
Police, however, did not disclose the
identities of the detainees.
Asked to explain the raid six days after the abduction, police said they did not have necessary information to carry out the drive.
State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan, however, said Nur and his relatives and followers were under the watch of law enforcers.
"That is why we conducted the drive in his house," he told reporters at the secretariat yesterday.
Asked if Nur was under the police surveillance where he might be now, the state minister said, "It is true that he went into hiding after a case was filed against him. We are trying to catch him."
Meanwhile, the abduction and murder case of Nazrul was handed over to the Detective Branch (DB) yesterday.
Mahbubur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Narayanganj DB, said they started investigating the case.
Also yesterday, detectives produced 15 detainees, including the 11 detained from Nur Hossain's house, before a Narayanganj court, seeking remand.
The court granted seven days' remand for six of them and two days' each for the nine others.