Cops count on remand talk:Daily Star

Three accused in the case filed for Thursday's triple murder in the capital's Moghbazar have been arrested and two of them placed on a five-day remand each. The two on remand -- Faruk Shamim Hossain, 32, and Sohel Khan, 28 -- are close associates of Shah Alam alias Kailla Babu, the prime accused in the case, and were directly involved in the killings, police said. They were named in the first info
rmation report (FIR) of the police. Kala Chan, brother of one of the victims Ranu Akter Brishti, filed the case against 15 named and five to six unnamed people with Ramna Police Station on Friday night. That very night, police arrested the duo from Moghbazar area, Deputy Commissioner Krishna Pada Roy of Detective Branch (South) Dhaka Metropolitan of Police told reporters at the DMP media centre yesterday. Police then produced Faruk and Sohel before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Erfanullah, seeking a 10-day remand for each, court sources said. “During primary interrogation, the two confessed to their direct involvement in the killings and their close connection with Kailla Babu,” Inspector Selim Miah, investigation officer (IO) of the case, said in his remand prayer. In a development last night, the DB arrested Zakir Hosaain Johny, another accused in the case, from Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. He was taken to the DB's Minto Road office for interrogation, DB sources said. Advertisement On Thursday night, a group of 20-21 criminals stormed the house of Ranu at Sonalibagh in Moghbazar and shot her and two youths Billal and Munna dead and injured Ranu's brother Hridoy. In a critical condition, Hridoy was undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. Kailla Babu, a top criminal and accused in several other cases, led the killing mission, both police and the plaintiff said. DC Krishna Pada Roy said Faruk and Sohel told police during the primary interrogation that the murders took place due to rows over land grabbing and extortion. “More vital information will be gleaned once they are grilled on remand,” he said, adding that drives were on to arrest the other accused. Kala Chan in the FIR mentioned that his sister Ranu bought four rooms of a tin-roofed house at Tk 4.70 lakh from one Faisal Ahmed Rony around eight months ago. While Ranu was renovating the house on March 3, Babu along with his two brothers Shahadat and Raju went to her and demanded Tk 5 lakh as extortion money for the possession of the house. Ranu filed a case against Babu with Ramna Police Station following the incident. Kala Chan claimed the killings took place as a consequence of that incident. Police sources said there had long been a fierce rivalry among Kailla Babu, Kala Chan and Rony, three alleged local land grabbers and extortionists. Both Kala Chan and Kala Babu were members of an extortionist group known as Bhola-Khaleque gang. Using the name of a ruling party leader from Bhola, they have established a reign of extortion in the slum areas of Moghbazar and Malibagh, locals alleged. Abdul Khaleque, the gang leader, and his close aides Shah Alam, Jahangir, Nuru and Mazid are from Bhola too. Police never dare touch them though their criminal activities, including drug peddling, are no secret. On plaintiff Kala Chan's alleged involvement with a criminal gang, DC Krishna Pada Roy said they were dealing with the triple-murder case only at the moment.