At least 16 persons, including BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, convicted in connection with August 21 grenade attack on Awami League rally that left 24 people dead, are absconding
The orchestrated attack on the rally of AL President and current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left 24 party leaders and activists dead and hundreds of others injured. Hasina, the then leader of the opposition, narrowly survived but suffered injuries to her ear.
Former state minister
Lutfozzaman Babar, former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu and 30 others convicted are now in jail.
Red notices issued against four were identified as militant leader Maulana Md Tajuddin Mia, former political adviser to the prime minister Haris Chowdhury, Ratul Ahmed Babu and owner of Hanif Paribahan transport group Mohammad Hanif -- are still effective.
RAB arrested Iqbal Hossain alias Jahangir alias Selim, fugitive convict in the August 21 grenade attack in 2004. The elite force arrested the fugitive, from the capital's Diabari area on February 23. Former NSI director general Brig Gen (retd) Abdur Rahim, a death row convict in the 10-truck arms haul case and also convicted with August 21 grenade attack case died of Covid-19 at a hospital in the capital on August 15.
Ahead of the 17th anniversary of the deadly terror attack, Police HQs said red notice against Tarique was issued on April 13 in 2015 before being revoked a year later on January 26. Alternatively, the red notice against Kaikobad was issued on November 12 in 2015. Interpol subsequently withdrew it on May 4 in 2018. Police do not have any clear information on the whereabouts of the fugitives. But officials believe Tajuddin is currently in South Africa or Pakistan, Haris in Malaysia or London, Kaikobad in the Middle East, Hanif in India or Malaysia, former army officials ATM Amin and Saiful Joarder in the US and Canada, respectively, Ratul in South Africa, and Anisul Mursalin alias Mursalin and Mohibul Muktakin are in India's Tihar Jail.
Khaleda Zia's son Tarique has been living in the UK for a decade. But talks of extraditing him to Bangladesh by the government have yet to yield any result.
Some 30 others, including Tarique, were added to the list of accused following wider investigations after the Awami League came to power in 2009. A total 52 suspects, including police officers, were implicated in the case.
The number had whittled down to 49 after three other accused, former minister and Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and militant leaders Mufti Abdul Hannan and Sharif Shahedul Alam alias Bipul were hanged after convictions in other cases. Of the 49, a Dhaka court sentenced 19 to life imprisonment and 11 to different jail terms on October 10 in 2018.
