Fund dispute led to muezzin killing

Police have arrested four suspects of the murder of Jabbu Khanam mosque muezzin in the capital's Islampur over two weeks ago.

They claimed that during primary interrogation, the suspects admitted the plot and execution of the killing of Maulana Belal Hossain, 49.

The arrestees are mosque khadem Habibur Rahman Habib, 20, Belal's assistant Hafez Mosharraf Hossain, 19, his aide Sarwar Halim, 38, and mosque staff Hafez Tofazzal Hossain, 23.

“Habib had masterminded and executed the killing following a dispute [with Belal] over the mosque funds,” Mofiz Uddin Ahmed, deputy commissioner (Lalbagh division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told a press briefing yesterday.

Habib had planned the killing with Mosharraf and Tofazzal at a mosque in Keraniganj a few days before the killing. Belal gave Sarwar about Tk eight lakh to invest in the share market, which made Habib angry with Belal, he said.

At the briefing at DMP media centre, the police official said police nabbed Habib, Mosharraf and Tofazzal from Narail, Netrakona and Dhaka's Keraniganj in separate drives on Tuesday.

Sarwar was held under Section 54 of the CrPC from Islampur days after Belal was murdered on April 4, he added.

Based on information from Habib, police recovered the “murder weapon”, a knife, from a drain in Babubazar area, the DMP official added.

Replying to a query, the police official said they would investigate whether the suspects have any militant link.

The Jabbu Khanam mosque has a handsome monthly income from various sources including shops in the building. Belal used to handle the financial matters and invest money outside for interest, the DC said.

“Habib and others wanted their shares in it, but the muezzin refused. The suspects failed to kill the muezzin several times in the past.”

On the fateful night, Habib took position on the stairs between the first and second floors of the mosque around 10:00pm and waited for Belal who was outside at that time, he said.

Habib met Belal on the stairs around 10:45pm and stabbed Belal to death at one stage.

Meanwhile, investigators said a Dhaka court yesterday placed Habib, Mosharraf and Tofazzal on three-day remand each and Sarwar on one-day remand in the murder case filed with Kotwali Police Station.