The police have uncovered some intriguing details regarding the murder of Jhenaidah-4 constituency’s Member of Parliament, Anwarul Azim. It seems a substantial sum might have been involved in the transaction related to his killing. The initial investigation suggests that there was a contract worth 50 million taka for the murder. However, the police haven’t yet found any trace of this money.
According to investigators, the mastermind behind the murder is Akhtaruzzaman Shahin, a close friend of MP Anwarul Azim. They were involved in business transactions together. MP Anwarul Azim was contracted by Akhtaruzzaman to carry out the killing, crossing illegally into India for this purpose. Under his leadership, a group of six members participated in this ‘killing mission’, disposing of the body in pieces to cover their tracks. They returned to Bangladesh on May 15.
A team from the Detective Branch of the police arrested Anwarul Azim from Mohammadiapur area on Wednesday (May 22). It’s learned that Anwarul Azim studied Bangla at Rajshahi University and was associated with the former Bangladesh Communist Party. He was accused of murder in Abhoynagar, Jessore, in 1991, and remained in custody until 1997. Later, in 2000, he was again arrested for the murder of another person named Iman. He was in custody until 2013. After being released on bail, he continued to operate as a hired killer.
Akhtaruzzaman made a deal with MP Anwarul Azim to kill him. Lacking a passport, Anwarul Azim illegally crossed the border into Kolkata on April 30. He was taken to Kolkata by Benapol. Interestingly, the flat from where Anwarul Azim was apprehended belonged to Akhtaruzzaman according to Sandeep Kumar Ray, an officer of the Revenue Department of the West Bengal government. Whether Akhtaruzzaman arranged for Anwarul Azim to stay in that flat is under investigation.
Anwarul Azim was a three-time Member of Parliament from Jhenaidah-4 constituency and the president of the Kaliganj Upazila Awami League. Allegations of various misdeeds have been leveled against him in the area, leading to a Red Notice on him by Interpol. On May 12, he crossed the border into India for medical treatment through Darshana. However, as he couldn’t be contacted from May 16 onwards, Gopal Vishwas, a businessman from Barahnagar, filed a missing complaint at the Barahnagar Police Station on May 18.
On Wednesday morning, news of Anwarul Azim’s murder surfaced in the Indian media. Later in the afternoon, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Kamal held a meeting with police officials at his residence in Dhaka. After the meeting, he briefed journalists, expressing his belief that the people of Bangladesh themselves may have been involved in planning the murder. Three individuals connected to the case have been apprehended. The minister stated that Anwarul Azim, being an MP from that area, was operating in a ‘terror-stricken’ region.
