The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested two individuals in connection with the murder of Jubo Dal leader Golam Kibria, stating that the killing was motivated by political rivalry and control over extortion rackets, and carried out by a six-to-seven-member hit squad.
At a press conference at RAB-4 office in Mirpur on Friday, Company Commander and Additional Superintendent of Police Md. Shahabuddin Kabir announced the arrests. The suspects, who were allegedly part of the direct killing mission, had attempted to flee to a neighboring country through illegal channels after the murder but failed.
The arrested individuals were identified as Md. Rashed alias Lopon, 35, and Md. Jahangir Hossain alias Kallu, 40. RAB recovered a foreign revolver and three rounds of ammunition, believed to have been used in the crime.
Shahabuddin Kabir said that after failing to cross the border, the suspects returned to Dhaka and were trying to obtain valid passports and visas to leave the country legally. They were apprehended during overnight raids on Thursday in Mirpur’s Rupnagar and Uttara’s Diabari areas. The weapon was recovered from Lopon's residence based on his information.
During interrogation, Lopon confessed to firing three shots from the six-chamber revolver: two at Kibria and one in the air to disperse onlookers. RAB officials said the killing mission involved three shooters, including the two arrested and another named Jony, who was caught at the scene.
Other members included ‘Bhagina Masum’ on the escape team, ‘Pata Sohel’ who supplied weapons and security, and ‘Sujon’ who conducted surveillance on the victim.
Explaining the motive, Kabir said, “The murder appears to have stemmed from a dispute over political dominance.” He added that evidence suggests the suspects were in contact with a top Mirpur-based criminal, Moshiur Rahman Moshi.
“Golam Kibria was a popular leader and member-secretary of the Pallabi thana Jubo Dal, with a bright political future. We learned that he had become an obstacle to Moshi’s control over extortion from the scrap fabric trade, housing businesses, and sidewalk vendors, which is why they planned to eliminate him,” the RAB official said.
On the evening of November 17 last year, three masked assailants entered the 'Bikrampur Hardware and Sanitary' store in Mirpur-12 and shot Golam Kibria at close range. While fleeing, they shot and injured a battery-powered auto-rickshaw driver for not driving fast enough.
Kibria’s wife, Sabiha Akter Dina, filed a murder case at Pallabi Police Station, naming five individuals and seven to eight other unidentified persons.
One of the alleged shooters, Jony, was apprehended by locals immediately after the incident. RAB had previously arrested two other named accused, Md. Monir Hossain alias Pata Sohel and Md. Sujon alias Bukpora Sujon.
