Five killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman still remain fugitives. They are former Army men Lt Col Khandaker Abdur Rashid, SHBM Noor Chowdhury, Shariful Haque Dalim, Rashed Chowdhury, and Risaldar Moslehuddin.
Of them, the government knew the whereabouts of Noor Chowdhury, Rashed Chowdhury and Moslehuddin while it was not sure about the other three fugitives -- Rashid, Dalim and Majed.
According to government sources, Noor Chowdhury has been living in Canada and Rashed Chowdhury in the USA.
It is certain that Rashed Chowdhury has been living in the USA with political asylum, while Noor Chowdhury is in Canada. Sources say the government also had some information about two others -- Moslem Uddin and Dalim who have been hiding in Germany and Spain, respectively.
But the government is completely in the dark about the whereabouts of the remaining two killers - Khandaker Abdur Rashid and Abdul Majed.
The government was negotiating with Washington to bring back Rashed Chowdhury, and official sources said they were hopeful that the Donald Trump administration would deport him to Bangladesh.
During Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Canada, she iterated her request to deport Noor Chowdhury.
At a National Mourning Day programme on August 15 last year, Law Minister Anisul Huq said Rashed Chowdhury, a fugitive killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, would be brought back to the country from the US.
"Two of the six fugitive killers of Bangabandhu are residing in the US and Canada. We would bring back the one living in the US. Legal steps are on to bring back the one in Canada as well," the Law Minister said.
"Steps are on to trace the whereabouts of the four other fugitive killers," he said, adding, "No matter where they are hiding, they would be extradited to the country and would be brought to justice."
At a separate programme last year, the Law Minister said the current US leaders are providing enough support to bring back the self-confessed Bangabandhu killer Rashed Chowdhury to Bangladesh through legal means.
"We have a very good relationship with the US. We are discussing with them to bring the killer back" Anisul Huq said.
Masudur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Tuesday said, "The government is trying to bring back the rest of the five fugitive killers, who are currently staying in different countries, soon."
On November 19 in 2009, the Supreme Court upheld a High Court verdict that awarded capital punishment to 12 killers for killing Bangabandhu and most of his family members in a military putsch on August 15 in 1975.
