NEW DELHI, June 20: A Special NIA Court has granted investigators 45 more days to probe an international assassination plot, highlighting how a porous Meghalaya border allowed Bangladeshi hitmen to seek sanctuary in India after the high-profile murder of a Dhaka activist.
Vacation Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh extended the investigation period to 135 days following an application by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The agency is investigating the killing of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a prominent political activist who was shot dead in Dhaka in December 2025.
The accused—identified as Rahul (alias Faisal Karim Masud), Alamgir Hossain, and Philip Sangma—were remanded to judicial custody for three days by Vacation Judge Meenu Kaushik on June 19. While the NIA identifies Philip Sangma as a Bangladeshi national, the name has raised concerns regarding local collusion or the infiltration of identities along the border.
The NIA sought the extension citing “new material” received on June 8 via a Supreme Court order. Investigators stated that this evidence, along with records recently obtained from the Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police, requires further analysis and verification through custodial interrogation. The move comes three months after the suspects were initially arrested in March 2026.
According to the investigation, the hitmen fled into India through the Meghalaya border immediately after the assassination. They were eventually apprehended in Bongaon, West Bengal, while attempting to cross back into Bangladesh.
The victim, Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, was a key figure in the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh. His murder triggered widespread riots in several parts of the neighbouring country. While 17 individuals have been named in a separate charge sheet in Bangladesh, the NIA is focusing on the logistical trail and the ease with which the accused utilized the Meghalaya frontier to evade capture. (ANI)
