Grabbing, vandalism: Key accused in three cases still at large
Despite the arrest of several suspects, three key accused remain at large in recent cases over alleged attempts to grab a plot in Chand Udyan and take over a residential building in Adabor and the vandalism and looting of the Radda healthcare centre in Mirpur.
All three -- Mostaker Rahman Khokon Chowdhury in the Chand Udyan case, Khurshid Alam Khan in the Adabor case, and Hanif Mia in the Radda MCH-FP Centre case -- have links to BNP politics, according to sources.
Police said drives were under way to arrest them. Khokon has been changing locations, Khurshid is abroad, and Hanif could not be found at his known addresses, they said.
In another similar incident at the New Gini Properties housing project in the ECB Chattar area, a group attacked and vandalised a tin-shed structure housing content creator Salman Muqtadir’s studio. The key accused in that case has been arrested, but retired Major General Golam Mohiuddin, who police earlier claimed was behind the attack, remains at large.
In the Chand Udyan incident, several hundred people stormed a plot around 10:00am on September 26, vandalised an office, and allegedly looted cash, equipment, and documents before fencing off the property. The incident took place in broad daylight, roughly 100 feet from a beat-policing office.
Ten people, including Khokon, were named in the case, along with 20 to 25 unidentified accused. Police have so far arrested nine people.
Mohammadpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Abdul Halim told this newspaper that police were conducting drives to arrest the remaining suspects.
He said police were tracking Khokon, who had been moving between Mirpur and Kafrul, making it difficult to arrest him.
Meanwhile, Khokon told this newspaper that he was not in hiding and had visited Chand Udyan yesterday. “I went there even today. Why would I hide? I did not carry out the attack. My building is next to the plot. Everyone there saw me. There is no question of me fleeing.”
Asked about his political affiliation, Khokon said he had been involved in BNP politics in Bhola and had once held a party post there.
In Adabor, a group of 15 to 20 men, some armed with machetes and other weapons, allegedly attempted to force their way into a multi-storey building in Shyamoli Housing around 6:30am on September 26. CCTV footage showed masked men attacking the gate and windows.
Police have so far arrested 10 people in the case, while key accused Khurshid Alam Khan is abroad, Adabor Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Nurul Islam said.
Khurshid is a vice-president of Ramna thana Zia Parishad, a pro-BNP forum, said Jahangir Alam, secretary of the same organisation.
In the early hours of September 25, more than 200 masked people stormed the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur-1. They held two security guards hostage, looted medical equipment, medicines, vaccines and other valuables, and demolished portions of the compound with heavy machinery.
The centre’s executive director, Dr Nasrin Akhter, filed a case naming Hanif Mia as the key accused. Police have so far arrested 12 suspects, but Hanif remains at large.
According to BNP sources, Hanif is a former member of Dhaka North City BNP.
Shah Ali Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Rezaur Rahman said police were conducting drives to arrest Hanif and the other accused.
In the New Gini Properties attack in ECB Chattar on the night of September 26, 200 to 250 people stormed the premises and vandalised Salman Muqtadir’s BrownFish Studio, the real estate company’s office, and an under-construction structure.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. A preliminary investigation found that the dispute was between the real estate company and a retired military officer, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters after the incident.
A group allegedly acting on behalf of the retired officer went there at night to take possession of the disputed land and vandalised several structures, including the facility used by Salman, a social media influencer, he added.
However, when the case was filed, Shahriar Mahmud was named as the key accused and Golam Mohiuddin, a retired major general, as the fourth accused.
The retired major general has yet to be arrested.
Cantonment Police Station OC Gias Uddin told this newspaper yesterday that six people, including the key accused, had so far been arrested, adding that police were trying to arrest the remaining suspects.
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