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Three Bangabandhu killers still untraced

Police for ‘expat intelligence’ to find them out


Published : 14 Aug 2021 09:13 PM | Updated : 15 Aug 2021 01:46 AM

In the national mourning month of August every year, ministers, diplomats and other senior government officials exhibit their efforts to bring back the absconding killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

But the reality is totally different. The high level task force formed to speed up the efforts, has not held even a single meeting this year.

They did not even host any virtual meeting to gear up the process of bringing back all the absconding death row convicts.

Talking to Bangladesh Post on Saturday, Law Minister Anisul Huq said, “due to the pandemic situation in the country, we did not hold any meeting of the task force.”

He however said, they are continuously discharging their duties on the issue.

“Due to the importance of the matter, I am unable to tell you anything on this particular issue,” he said while declining to elaborate on the outcome of the high voltage committee, which is being headed by himself.

About his hope to bring back the killers to carry out their convictions, the law minister said, until and unless we can implement the verdict against them, we shall continue our efforts to bring back all the absconding killers.

Bangladesh Post also talked to  Mohiul Islam, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of National Central Bureau (NCB), local wing of international police organization INTERPOL   which deals with the issue on behalf of the police headquarters.

He said there are still five absconding convicts.

He admitted that the remaining three death row convicts could not be traced as yet.

The absconding killers are sacked army officers Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haque Dalim, Noor Chowdhury, Rashed Chowdhury, and Moslehuddin Khan.

According to a secret document prepared by the Police Headquarters, self confessed killer  Noor Chowdhury is currently in Canada.

AIG Mohiul Islam said, red notice is still  effective against Noor Chowdhury.

On August 31 in 2009, INTERPOL issued a red notice  against him. On March 25 in 2019, the red notice was extended for another five years.

Killer Rashed Chowdhury is currently living in the USA. Red notice was issued against him on January 7 in 2009. On July 26 in 2018, red notice was extended for another five years, the PHQ document reads.

NCB sources said they could not specifically trace another three absconding killers till now.

However, they said sacked army officer  Shariful Haque Dalim may be hiding in Pakistan or Libya.

On June 28 in 2009, INTERPOL issued a red notice against him. On January 7, red notice was extended for another five years.

The current hideout of sacked army officer killer  Khandaker Abdur Rashid , one of the masterminds of the Bangabandhu’s assassination is  yet to be traced.

NCB officials said he may be hiding in Libya or Zimbabwe.

On August 31 in 2009, INTERPOL issued a red notice against him. On March 25 in 2019, red notice was extended for another five years.

Killer Musleh Udddin is also yet to be traced. However, the NCB head said the fugitive may be hiding in Pakistan.

On June in 2009, INTERPOL issued a red notice against him. On December 4 in 2018, red notice was extended for another five years.

 NCB officials said they sent letters to the Home Ministry and Foreign Ministry to bring back Noor Chowdhury and Rashed Chowdhury through diplomatic channels.

AIG Mohiul Islam said, we are regularly communicating with NCB- Canada, NCB- USA and INTERPOL headquarters regarding the two fugitives who were already traced.

He said after getting specific locations of  Shariful Haque Dalim, Khandaker Abdur Rashid and Musleh Uddin, we shall inform the foreign ministry through the home ministry.

About the possible time of tracing the untraced killers, AIG  Mohiul Islam said, we are regularly sending emails to the concerned NCB whenever we get any possible  information of their possible hide out.

Some countries respond, but some do not to our queries, he further said.

Main problem is that you cannot bring INTERPOL under any compulsion, he said adding, it is very difficult for us, if any country does not want to inform us about the whereabouts of the fugitives.

He said that after such long years, it is really so difficult to track the killers as their physical appearances have possibly changed a lot.

 As a result, we need to use our expatriate intelligence to trace the fugitive killers of the founder of Bangladesh, he opined.  

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members were brutally killed by some disgruntled army men on the fateful night of August 15, 1975 and this carnage is touted as the ugliest chapter of the nation’s history.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu, escaped the planned assassination with her sister Sheikh Rehana as they were overseas at the time.