From Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, May 23: The mysterious murder of Bangladeshi Member of Parliament (MP) Anwarul Azim Anar in Kolkata is becoming murkier each passing day with reports of crossborder gold smuggling, extortion and honeytrap angles coming out to open during investigation in both countries.
According to Kolkata Police, Anar, who is an influential MP in Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League Party, was seen in CCTV cameras accompanied by two men and a woman when he checked into the luxury condominium in New Town in Kolkata’s outskirts.
While footage showed the unidentified men and woman leaving the residential complex in phases, there was no sign of the MP leaving.
On the other hand, Bangladesh Police suspect Anar’s childhood friend and business partner Aktaruzzaman Shaheen’s role behind the murder.
Amanullah Aman, another friend of the MP and listed extremist leader, is also one of the suspects in this case.
According to police, three persons, including the woman, had reportedly held the MP hostage and asked him to pay the money he owed to Shaheen in some gold-smuggling racket.
Police also said that at one stage, they suffocated Anwarul with a pillow and killed him.
The two men and the woman were seen exiting at different times between May 13 and 15. Two of them were seen leaving with big bags which raise suspicion that the MP’s body might be cut into pieces and taken away for disposal.
One person has been arrested by police in Kolkata in this connection.
Police said at least two of the three people accompanying the victim later returned to Bangladesh.
Police also suspect honey trap angle because of the presence of the unknown woman with the MP.
The MP who ostensibly came for his medical treatment was in touch with his host in Kolkata and daughter back home in Dhaka through WhatsApp initially. He, however, remained incommunicable after a few days, which rang alarm bells in the family and police.
The MP’s acquaintance in Kolkata, Gopal Biswas, had filed a police complaint on May 18.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was subsequently formed by the Barrackpore Police Commissionerate to trace the missing politician.
A three-time MP, Anar was himself an accused in 21 cases, according to his official data by the Election Commission of Bangladesh. The cases included smuggling of arms, explosives, drugs and gold, extortion and sheltering extremists.
The MP was even on a wanted list of the Interpol but was subsequently cleared. With his past records hunting him, police in both countries are also investigating other crime angles of the murder.
According to sources, Shaheen reportedly came to Dhaka on May 10 after planning the murder. He then, sources added, hired hitmen and paid them Rs five crore to execute the same.
After the killing came out in the open, he reportedly fled to the US via Nepal, India and Dubai.
Only last year, another top Bangladesh politician Salahuddin Ahmed, a former minister and BNP MP, was released in Meghalaya after years of arrest for entering into Indian territory without valid documents.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan called it a ‘planned murder’ but also said that the assailants were all from the home country.
So far, Bangladesh police have arrested three persons in coordination with their Indian counterpart.