CID identifies JMB-men as TV anchor Farooqi murderers

Dhaka, Aug 27 – The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday said they finally identified some of the perpetrators involved in the murder of TV show host Moulana Nurul Islam Farooqi four years after his murder. The perpetrators’ names were disclosed during a detained extremists’ confessional statement to the court, said CID.
The extremists killed Farooqi allegedly over ideological differences, said Special Superintendent of Police CID Mollah Nazrul Islam, based on the confessional statement of Hadisur Rahman Sagar.
Farooqi was killed at his residence by a group of assailants in Dhaka’s East Razabazar on Aug 27, 2014.
A presidium member of the Islami Front, Farooqi was a central leader of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat.
The case was transferred from Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) of Police to CID.
They discovered the names of a few suspects in the murder, including Sagar, when they took over the case last December, Mollah Nazrul told newsmen, it was found that Sagar had already been imprisoned in another case, he added.
“He divulged some information related to the Farooqi murder case when we interrogated him.”
Sagar then recorded his confession to the court under article 164 of the CrPC on May 30. Sagar is the only suspect in the Farooqi murder case in the custody of Bangladeshi law enforcers, said CID.
“The killers believed that Farooqi was preaching a false ideology of Islam and Allah on the media that was not supported by the Holy Quran and Hadith,” said Mollah Nazrul.
Extremist group Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh or JMB was angry about Farooqi for this and planned to kill him, Sagar said in his confessional statement.
Sagar claimed that he was waiting on the street outside the residence while other members of JMB went inside and killed Farooqi.
Although 10 to 12 persons were involved in the murder, Sagar has named 7 persons in his statement, which include Jamai Farook, who has been arrested in India, said Mollah Nazrul.
JMB had a meeting at Tongi’s Abdullahpur the day before the murder took place, said Mollah Nazrul citing Sagar’s statement.
One of the JMB members asked Sagar to be prepared for ‘an operation’ on the following day.
CID officials suspect that Sagar was a senior leader of the JMB who was responsible for its activities in Rajshahi.
“We’re trying to nab those who have been named. The whole murder case will be clarified once we arrest them,” said Mollah Nazrul. – Special Correspondent