Cox's Bazar, 30 Sept: Family members of Mohammad Mohibullah, who was shot dead on Wednesday, said Master Abdur Rahim and his gang killed him.
He was shot dead at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar on Wednesday night as he spoke with other community leaders outside his office, according to police.
Mohibullah (46) was a top leader of Rohingya Muslim refugee camp at Kutupalong and the Chairman of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARPSH).
Habibullah, younger brother of Muhibullah, on Thursday told the Daily Observer that a group of 15/20 gunmen attacked my brother while he was in
the office of the ARSPH after Esha prayers in Ukhia's Kutupalong.
After beating the others working in the office, a terrorist named Master Abdur Rahim shot his brother in the chest.
Habibullah said at least 15 to 20 people, including Master Abdur Rahim, Murshid and Lalu, took part in the killing. He claims that Master Abdur Rahim was a member of al-Yaqeen.
"Four to five assailants shot him from close range. He was shot in different parts of the body including the chest and fell down. When the locals came forward, the miscreants fled.
Quoting witnesses, police said the killers had masks on their faces and they entered Mohibullah's office and fired shots targeting him.
"We have found several fired bullets and sent those for forensic examination," they said. "The criminals used automatic weapons."
Sheikh Monirul Gias, Officer-in-Charge of Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station said the body of the slain Muhibullah was handed over to his brother Ahmad Ullah through Ukhia Police Station.
The burial was completed after the religious ceremony there. Mohibullah's autopsy was performed at Cox's Bazar Medical College Hospital around 12:00 pm on Thursday.
His wife Nasima Begum will file a case over the incident, said police.
The OC said the motive of the killing and the identities of those involved in the murder had not yet been confirmed, he said.
However, the victim's another brother Ahmad Ullah claimed that he was killed by the miscreants of the opposition out of anger over the Rohingya repatriation.
No one has claimed responsibility for his murder, but a Rohingya leader claimed that Ullah was killed by the extremist group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which was behind several attacks on Myanmar security posts in recent years.
Although APBN and police continued their operation to arrest those involved in the incident, no statement could be obtained from those concerned.
Terming Rohingya leader Mohibullah's murder as 'well-planned', investigators said his popularity in the Rohingya refugee community in Cox's Bazar is the key to the grisly murder.
"Mohibullah knew the killers; hence, they could easily enter his office and gun him down. There was no sign of scuffle in front of his office and a guard was stationed there," said Armed Police Battalion-14 Commanding Officer Md Naimul Huq said.
"The murder was executed in a well-planned manner as the killers followed Mohibullah's every move," said the APBN official. He was declared dead at a MSF Hospital in the camp," sources said.
He was a leading advocate for the Rohingya, a minority that has long suffered persecution in Myanmar, and was subjected to a brutal military crackdown in 2017, when hundreds of thousands were forced to seek refuge across the border in Bangladesh.
Mohibullah documented abuses perpetrated by the Myanmar military, and campaigned for greater protection of refugees. He spoke internationally about Rohingya rights, travelling to the White House to meet former president Donald Trump and spoke at the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2019.
Mohibullah, who had criticized violence in the camps, had been threatened by various armed groups.
He was a key figure in the Rohingya repatriation process as the representative of over 1 million refugees currently living in camps in the Cox's Bazar area of Bangladesh.
Mohibullah was a prominent voice demanding justice for Rohingyas against the Myanmar military which is being investigated by several international agencies for atrocities against the Rohingyas.
Meanwhile, after the assassination of Muhibullah, the law and order situation in the surrounding Rohingya camps, including Lambasia, remained tense. Additional members of law enforcement including APBN were deployed in the camps. Law and order forces are continuing their operation to arrest those involved in the incident.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan along with Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed visited Cox's Bazar on Thursday morning.
