Police is yet to make any arrests two days after six people were murdered in Dhaka’s Gopibagh.
Police’s Detective Branch (DB) Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam told reporters on Monday that they were yet to ascertain the motive behind
the killings The police official said that three teams of the Detective Branch were investigating the incident.
He said that the police were ‘more or less’ certain that at least eight people were involved in the killing and not 10-12 people as they
had assumed earlier.
Families of the victims and police say the killers entered the house in the guise of disciples of so-called Pir (saint) Lutfur Rahman Faruk
and committed the macabre murders.
Police suspect previous enmity or ‘differences over religious belief is the motive while the families say religious fanatics might be
involved.
Unknown assailants slaughtered the six, including Faruk, 60, and his son Sarwar Islam aka Monir, on the first floor of a four-storey
building at Ramkrishna Mission Road on Saturday evening.
The other victims were the house’s caretaker Monjur Alam aka Monju and Faruk’s followers ‘Shaheen’, ‘Rasel’, and Mojibur Rahman.
Lutfur’s younger son Abdullah Al Faruk filed a case late Saturday night accusing 10-12 unidentified people, Wari Police Station’s
sub-inspector Zahidur Rahman said.
Though ‘some articles’ have been taken away from the house, police believe it was not a case of robbery.
Police officials said Lutfur sometimes claimed himself as Imam Mahadi and sometimes ‘chief commander’ and he and his disciples performed
religious rituals in their own style.
In Islamic eschatology, Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule the world for several years before the Day of Judgment and
will rid it of evil.
Six people were picked up from the area following the incident on Saturday but were released after questioning.
Lutfur hailed from Char Baruri under Bhuapur Upazila in Tangail. His son Sarwar was working at City Bank’s Sadargaht branch. – bdnews24.com
