Mastermind traced

Claim police, arrest 4 suspects

Masterminded of the murder of Italian aid worker Tavella, killed in the city’s diplomatic zone, Gulshan, on September 28, has been traced, highly placed sources in police said.
Police yesterday disclosed that they had arrested four suspected killers of the Italian aid worker. They also found the motorbike used in the murder.
The four were identified as Tamzid Ahmed Rubel, alias Mobile Rubel, alias Shooter Rubel, Sakhawat Hossain, alias Sharif, Russell Chowdhury, alias Chakki Russell, alias Biddut Russell, and Minhazul Arefin Russell, alias Bhagina Russell, alias Kala Russell.
According to the police sources, the plan for the killing was finalised abroad and some political elements were involved in the planning in a bid to destabilise the situation.
A group of Dhaka City-based BNP leaders, led by a former councilor of Dhaka City Corporation who is also a joint convener of the city BNP, engineered the operation, they added.
At one stage, some mid-level leaders of the party, including a former student leader, held a secret meeting in the capital. They chose several pro-BNP professional killer groups mainly active in the underworld of Gulshan-Badda areas, the sources claimed.
Instructed by the conspirators, the former DCC councilor’s younger brother, who has also been "detained" by law enforcers, finalised a group led by the arrested three professional killers, the sources said.
While talking to this correspondent at 6:49pm, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal also hinted that a political figure might be the mastermind behind the murder. "Yes, we will tell you everything. We are waiting for more evidence, please wait," he said.
Earlier, addressing a press-briefing Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner said Asaduzzaman Miah said: "Tavella murder suspects have admitted that they were hired to murder a white  man to create anarchy in the country."
Not Tavella in particular. They were contracted to kill any foreign national, particularly white-skinned man," he added.
Meanwhile, the 4 suspected killers were produced before the court which put three of them --- Md Russel Chowdhury, alias Chakki Russel, Minhajul Arefin Russel, alias Kala Russel and Md Shakhawat Hossain, alias Sharif --- on an eight-day remand. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mahbubur Rahman passed the order when DB inspector Md Jehad Hossain produced them before the court seeking a 10-day remand.

Suspect Tanjid Ahmed Rubel, alias Mobile Rubel, alias Shooter Rubel reportedly made confessional statements before the court of another metropolitan magistrate.
In his confessional statement which lasted around one and half hours, Shooter Rubel admitted that he himself fired four shots towards Tavella as per the order of Chakki Russel and Kala Russel.
“I did not know him, even the motive behind the killing,” he said adding that they engaged him for the killing.  
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mohmad Adnan recorded the statement and ordered the authority to send him jail.
A team of the DB conducted drives in the Gulshan and Badda areas in the capital and arrested the suspects. Chakki Russell, son of Shahjahan Chowdhury, was arrested from Gulshan, Bhagina Russell from Shatarkul and Mobile Rubel from a secret hideout in Badda yesterday, the Commissioner said.
Based on information given by Bhagina Russell, a police team seized the white motorbike, FZS, from a house in Madhya Badda, he said. Sharif, owner of the motorbike, is a dealer in illegal firearms and a Yaba trader.
After their arrest, law enforcers interrogated the four separately.
During preliminary interrogation, Sharif told the police that he gave Bhagina Russell his motorbike for an operation after the latter requested him, the Commissioner said. Bhaginal took the bike in the morning and returned it at night.
Bhagina and Chakki Russell are convicted criminals and drug addicts, the police chief said, adding that they had record showing Mobile Rubel as a cold-blooded killer
“We have arrested the real criminals and collected relevant evidence and information about their crimes,” Asaduzzaman claimed.
“A so-called big brother ordered them to carry out the killing, and we have information about that person. Once we arrest that big brother, we will be able to arrest the persons behind the killing,” he said, adding that they were trying to trace the firearms used in the crime.
The police have not found any link to militancy and the Islamic State in the murder, he said while replying to questions of reporters at the briefing session. The Islamic State issue was brought up to hide the real criminals, he claimed.
Setara Begum, a street vendor, and Joynal Khan, a rickshaw mechanic, who were present near the spot, told The Independent yesterday evening that the four criminals were not known to them. “We did not see them before,” said Joynal.
He also claimed that a few days ago, the police came to them and showed pictures of eight to 10 people. They also told the police that none of them was known to either of them, said Joynal.

Mastermind traced

Claim police, arrest 4 suspects

Masterminded of the murder of Italian aid worker Tavella, killed in the citys diplomatic zone, Gulshan, on September 28, has been traced, highly placed sources in police said. Police yesterday disclosed that they had arrested four suspected killers of the Italian aid worker. They also found the motorbike used in the murder. The four were identified as Tamzid Ahmed Rubel, alias Mobile Rubel, alias Shooter Rubel, Sakhawat Hossain, alias Sharif, Russell Chowdhury, alias Chakki Russell, alias Biddut Russell, and Minhazul Arefin Russell, alias Bhagina Russell, alias Kala Russell. According to the police sources, the plan for the killing was finalised abroad and some political elements were involved in the planning in a bid to destabilise the situation. A group of Dhaka City-based BNP leaders, led by a former councilor of Dhaka City Corporation who is also a joint convener of the city BNP, engineered the operation, they added. At one stage, some mid-level leaders of the party, including a former student leader, held a secret meeting in the capital. They chose several pro-BNP professional killer groups mainly active in the underworld of Gulshan-Badda areas, the sources claimed. Instructed by the conspirators, the former DCC councilors younger brother, who has also been detained by law enforcers, finalised a group led by the arrested three professional killers, the sources said. While talking to this correspondent at 6:49pm, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal also hinted that a political figure might be the mastermind behind the murder. Yes, we will tell you everything. We are waiting for more evidence, please wait, he said. Earlier, addressing a press-briefing Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner said Asaduzzaman Miah said: Tavella murder suspects have admitted that they were hired to murder a white man to create anarchy in the country. Not Tavella in particular. They were contracted to kill any foreign national, particularly white-skinned man, he added. Meanwhile, the 4 suspected killers were produced before the court which put three of them --- Md Russel Chowdhury, alias Chakki Russel, Minhajul Arefin Russel, alias Kala Russel and Md Shakhawat Hossain, alias Sharif --- on an eight-day remand. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mahbubur Rahman passed the order when DB inspector Md Jehad Hossain produced them before the court seeking a 10-day remand. Suspect Tanjid Ahmed Rubel, alias Mobile Rubel, alias Shooter Rubel reportedly made confessional statements before the court of another metropolitan magistrate. In his confessional statement which lasted around one and half hours, Shooter Rubel admitted that he himself fired four shots towards Tavella as per the order of Chakki Russel and Kala Russel. I did not know him, even the motive behind the killing, he said adding that they engaged him for the killing. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mohmad Adnan recorded the statement and ordered the authority to send him jail. A team of the DB conducted drives in the Gulshan and Badda areas in the capital and arrested the suspects. Chakki Russell, son of Shahjahan Chowdhury, was arrested from Gulshan, Bhagina Russell from Shatarkul and Mobile Rubel from a secret hideout in Badda yesterday, the Commissioner said. Based on information given by Bhagina Russell, a police team seized the white motorbike, FZS, from a house in Madhya Badda, he said. Sharif, owner of the motorbike, is a dealer in illegal firearms and a Yaba trader. After their arrest, law enforcers interrogated the four separately. During preliminary interrogation, Sharif told the police that he gave Bhagina Russell his motorbike for an operation after the latter requested him, the Commissioner said. Bhaginal took the bike in the morning and returned it at night. Bhagina and Chakki Russell are convicted criminals and drug addicts, the police chief said, adding that they had record showing Mobile Rubel as a cold-blooded killer We have arrested the real criminals and collected relevant evidence and information about their crimes, Asaduzzaman claimed. A so-called big brother ordered them to carry out the killing, and we have information about that person. Once we arrest that big brother, we will be able to arrest the persons behind the killing, he said, adding that they were trying to trace the firearms used in the crime. The police have not found any link to militancy and the Islamic State in the murder, he said while replying to questions of reporters at the briefing session. The Islamic State issue was brought up to hide the real criminals, he claimed. Setara Begum, a street vendor, and Joynal Khan, a rickshaw mechanic, who were present near the spot, told The Independent yesterday evening that the four criminals were not known to them. We did not see them before, said Joynal. He also claimed that a few days ago, the police came to them and showed pictures of eight to 10 people. They also told the police that none of them was known to either of them, said Joynal.