Two suspects in Osman Hadi murder fled to India via Meghalaya border: Dhaka Police
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Dhaka: The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have confirmed that two prime suspects in the high-profile murder of Bangladeshi political activist Osman Hadi have fled to India, crossing the border into Meghalaya, according to a report by The Daily Star. Authorities in Bangladesh stated they are actively coordinating with their Indian counterparts to secure the arrest and extradition of the accused.
Addressing a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre, Additional Commissioner SN Nazrul Islam identified the fugitives as Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh. Police investigations revealed that the duo crossed into India via the Haluaghat border in Mymensingh, allegedly with the assistance of local associates.
"According to our information, the suspects entered India via the Haluaghat border. After crossing, they were initially received by an individual named Purti. Later, a taxi driver named Sami transported them to Tura city in Meghalaya," Nazrul Islam was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.
The Additional Commissioner added that Bangladeshi authorities have received informal intelligence suggesting that the two individuals who facilitated the escape, Purti and Sami, have already been detained by Indian security forces. However, an official confirmation regarding these detentions is still awaited.
"We are maintaining communication with Indian authorities through both formal and informal channels to ensure their arrest and extradition," the official stated.
Osman Hadi, a prominent political figure known for his criticism of the Awami League and India, was a key leader in the "July Uprising," the violent student-led movement that precipitated the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government last year. Recently, he had launched a political platform called ‘Inqilab Mancha’ and was preparing to contest the parliamentary elections scheduled for February.
Hadi was shot in the head by masked gunmen in Dhaka on December 12. He was airlifted to Singapore for advanced medical treatment but succumbed to his injuries six days later.
His assassination triggered widespread unrest across Bangladesh. Mobs targeted media houses, setting fire to the offices of ‘Prothom Alo’ and ‘The Daily Star’, as well as cultural organisations like Chhayanat and Udichi Shilpi Goshthi. The violence also took a communal turn in central Bangladesh, where a Hindu factory worker was lynched by a mob in Mymensingh following the news of Hadi's death.