Jubo League Leader Killing
‘Murderer’ killed in Rab ‘shootout’
In a dramatic development, Jahid Siddique Tarek, who allegedly shot dead Jubo League leader Riazul Haque Khan Milky early Tuesday, was killed in a “shootout” between his cohorts and Rab at Kaola in the capital last night. The elite force was taking Tarek, joint secretary of Dhaka City (south) unit Jubo League, to Gulshan Police Station from a hospital in Uttara.
Rab claimed they came under attack as they reached Kaola near Shahjalal International Airport. Rab personnel returned fire leading to a shootout that left Tarek and one of the attackers dead on the spot. Two Rab members were also injured in the gunfight.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rab identified Tarek as Milky’s killer from CCTV footage, and detained him at Fortune Hospital in Uttara.
Tarek was receiving treatment at the hospital for a bullet wound he suffered accidentally while attacking Milky at the entrance of Shoppers World, a shopping mall in Gulshan, said Rab.
Milky’s brother Major Rashidul Haque Khan filed a murder case against Tarek and 10 others on Tuesday night.
The elite force also arrested six others in connection with the murder, and handed them over to Gulshan police, who are investigating the case.
But Tarek was still in Rab custody as he was receiving treatment at Fortune Hospital.
As Tarek’s condition improved, Rab was taking him to the Gulshan Police Station by a microbus last night.
Kismat Hayat, commanding officer of Rab-1, said a Rab team with Tarek left Fortune Hospital by a microbus around 9:45pm. As they reached Kaola around 10:15pm, a group of 10 to 12 criminals attacked them.
Some of the attackers in a white car fired from the front while some others on two motorbikes struck from behind to snatch Tarek, who was in the microbus, said Habibur Rahman, director of Rab media wing.
After the brief shootout, Rab members found Tarek dead inside the microbus.
They searched the spot and found the body of one of the attackers — Shah Alam. They also recovered two firearms, and seized the car and a motorbike from the spot.
Kismat said two Rab members suffered injuries. But the wounds were not serious, as they were wearing bullet-proof vests.
Meanwhile, police and ruling party sources said a feud with party men over the nomination for ward councillor post in local body polls was the main reason behind Milky’s murder.
Milky’s enmity with Awami League leader Zaidul Islam Tipu, political boss of Tarek, intensified over the nomination in Dhaka City Corporation polls slated for May 2012.
Both Milky, organising secretary of the Dhaka city (south) unit Jubo League, and Tipu, general secretary of Awami League’s Motijheel unit, wanted to contest for councillorship of Ward-10 that covers Motijheel’s AGB colony and its nearby areas in DCC (south).
When Milky began lobbying for the nomination, Tarek, once a close ally of Milky, started backing Tipu, said sources at Jubo League.
Forty-three-year-old Milky was once political mentor of Tarek, joint secretary of the Dhaka City (south) unit Jubo League. But distance between the two grew over the local body election, they said.
Both Milky and Tarek were born in the AGB colony and grew up there.
Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station, said there were several motives behind Milky’s murder, but the conflict over the nomination in the DCC polls was the main one.
Tarek also wanted to take control of a business at a container depot at Kamalapur Railway Station from Milky, said a source in the ruling party.
Besides, Milky had made a number of enemies by putting people of his choice in the new Jubo League Dhaka city (south) committee, said the source.
Tarek took the help of Shakhawat Hossain Chanchal, organising secretary of Dhaka city (north) unit Jubo League, in committing the murder, said Kismat Hayat, commanding officer of Rab-1.
Chanchal was not in good terms with Milky, as the latter wanted to establish supremacy in the Badda-Gulshan area.
Milky’s brother Major Rashidul Haque filed a murder case with Gulshan Police Station on Tuesday against 11 people, including Tarek, Tipu, Chanchal and his close associate Sohel.
Another four to five unidentified people were later included in the list, said police.
Four of the accused, including Tipu, Chanchal and Sohel, are on the run.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court placed six of the accused on a seven-day remand after police produced them before it with a 10-day remand prayer.
Lt Col Ziaul Ahsan, chief of Rab intelligence wing, told The Daily Star that Tarek had been under the watch of the elite force after Milky informed them about Tarek’s intention to kill him.
Wishing anonymity, a home ministry official said on Tuesday that two or three days before the murder, Milky came to the office of State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku for obtaining a firearm licence.
Kazi Anisur Rahman, office secretary of Jubo League, told The Daily Star that the central committee had expelled Tarek and Chanchal from the party for their involvement in the murder.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
