Investigators find 7 people's involvement in the murder
Investigators have identified that seven people directly took part in the killing of publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan. He was found hacked to death in his Jagriti Prokashony office at Shahbagh's Aziz Super Market in Dhaka on October 31, 2015.
Both Tutul and Dipan had published books by the secular writer-blogger Avijit Roy, who was killed in February 2015. Police say they have prepared charge sheet and will submit it soon.
Meanwhile, one Shariful alias Sakib alias Sharif alias Saleh alias Arif alias Hadi-1, said to be a top organiser of banned militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), and according to police one of the masterminds of Dipan killing, has been killed in a "gunfight" with detectives in Khilgaon. Shariful.
Police also found evidence of his leadership in murder attempt of publisher Ahmed Rashid Tutul at Lalmatia and killing of Riyad Morshed Babu, a student of Shanta Mariam University.
Masudur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner (media) of DMP said police identified all the suspects who were directly involved in Dipan killing.
Mainul Hasan Shamim, who also goes by the aliases Sifat and Samir another Abdur Sabur alias Samad have been arrested in connection with killing of Dipan. "Dipan was murdered for publishing Avijit Roy's books. Shamim confessed that seven persons took part in the killing," the senior police officer added.
"Shamim told police that dismissed Army major Syed Md Ziaul Haque masterminded publisher Dipan's murder. He has given us details of who had motivated him and provided them with weapons to carry out the killing," said police sources.
Police's counterterrorism unit claimed Shamim is one of the top four operatives of Islamist group Ansar Al Islam's (the former Ansarullah Bangla Team) military wing.
"During initial interrogation, Shamim confessed to his involvement in Dipan's killing as well as the murder of Riad Morshed Babu in Savar," said the unit's chief Monirul Islam said.
"In 2014, he took part in the killing of Shanto Mariam University student Riad Morshed Babu in Dhaka. We are trying to arrest the person who had radicalised Shamim in Sylhet."
Police said Shamim hailed from Sunamganj and studied at the Madan Mohan College in Sylhet. His brother lives in the UK and he was planning to flee there."Shamim claimed that he had met dismissed Army officer Zia," said senior Detective Branch officer.
Shamim had confessed to his being in-charge of training the Ansarullah operatives, who took part in Dipan's killing and also coordinated the attack at Dhaka's Shahbagh.
According to police, deceased Shariful was one of the masterminds in killing of Dipan, Blogger Oyashiqur Rahman Babu, secular activist Nazim Uddin Samad and LGBT rights activist Xulhaz Mannan and his friend Mahbub Tonoy.
