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The Detective Branch of police on Monday said fugitive sacked major Syed Ziaul Haque masterminded the escape of two Ansar al-Islam members, both death-row convicts in publisher Dipan murder case, from the Dhaka court premises.
All those involved in the snatching of militant members are under surveillance, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner of Detective Branch Harun Or Rashid while talking to reporters in a DMP media centre on Monday.
He said that everyone involved in this plan and the mastermind of the incident will be brought to justice. The police have already issued a red alert across the country to prevent them from escaping.
The accomplices of escapees are under the surveillance of law enforcers and they can be arrested anytime, he said.
Five suspended for negligence of duty
The DMP has suspended five of its officials for the negligence of duty, The DB chief Harun said, adding that they were responsible for taking the militants to the court.
The suspended police officials are Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate Court Inspector Matiur Rahman, SI Nahidur Rahman Bhuiyan, trainee SI Md Mohiuddin, and constables Sharif Hasan and Abdus Sattar.
20 sued for snatching away two militants
A case has been filed against 20 people and some 20/21 unnamed people following the incident. Some of them have been arrested and remanded.
According to the case statement, two other militants Arafat and Sabur, who failed to flee on Sunday from the court premises informed the police that they were aware of the operation and fugitive sacked major Syed Ziaul Haque had planned and masterminded the episode.
As per the plan and instruction of Ziaul, who was also a leader of the military wing of the militant outfit Ansar Al Islam, Ayman alias Moshiur Rahman led the operation and Sabbirul, Tanveer, Riaz and Omar Farooq snatched away the two death-row convicts.
The DB chief Harun said that out of 12 militants who appeared in the court, two could flee. The remaining 10 people are being interrogated on remand for 10 days. CCTV footage of surrounding areas is being collected and reviewed. The people involved in the incident will be arrested soon.
According to investigators, those who helped to snatch away the two militants are also involved with militancy and they were on a recce of the place for the past two months.
Who is Ziaul?
Police said sacked army officer Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque was behind Sunday’s episode at Dhaka court. He also masterminded the attacking and killing of several writers, publishers, bloggers and gay rights activists between 2013 and 2016.
In August 2016, the inspector general of the police announced Tk 20 lakh bounty for any information leading to his arrest. The law enforcers also circulated seven pictures of Zia in different dresses and styles.
Ziaul hit headlines in 2012 after a failed coup attempt in the army. Zia has not been found since the failed coup attempt.
RAB on alert
Rapid Action Battalion’s legal and media wing director Khandaker Al Moin said that they have collected various data and CCTV footage from the court premises and other places. They are also reviewing the nature of the previous crimes of the two escapee militants, the movement of their relatives and everything related.
All units of RAB are working to nab fugitive two militants, he said.
On Sunday, the government issued a red alert at all the entry and exit points of Bangladesh to aid in the arrest of the two escaped convicts.
Md Abu Siddique Sohel alias Sakib alias Sajid alias Shahab, 33, of Lalmonirhat and Moinul Hasan Shamim alias Sifat alias Samir alias Imran, 24, of Sunamganj both are convicted in Jagriti Prokashani’s publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan murder case and one in blogger Avijit murder case.
Publisher Dipan, son of Prof Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq of Dhaka University, was hacked to death in his office on the second floor of Aziz Super Market at Shahbagh on October 31, 2015.
A case was filed with Shahbagh police station the following day and later the case was transferred to DB police. On November 15, 2019, police pressed charges against the eight Ansar-Al-Islam men in the case.
On February 10, 2021, the Dhaka Anti-Terrorism Tribunal sentenced eight militants, including Sohel and Shamim, to death.
In a similar incident, armed members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh ambushed a prison van and snatched away three of their fellows in Trishal of Mymensingh on February 23, 2015. A police constable was killed as the attackers opened fire and hurled crude bombs at the prison van.
