Musabbir murder: Cops focusing on turf war in Karwan Bazar

Former Swechchhasebak Dal leader Azizur Rahman Musabbir had been receiving threats for some time before he was shot dead in the capital’s Tejgaon area on Wednesday night, police said.

Investigators are exploring possible links to a local turf war, control over Karwan Bazar, and political rivalry as motives behind the killing.

His wife, Suraiya Begum, told the police that her husband had been getting repeated threats to his life, Tejgaon Division Deputy Commissioner Ibne Mizan told The Daily Star yesterday.

However, she did not specify who issued the threats or why, police said. 

The police official said Musabbir had never reported the threats to law enforcers.

Musabbir, former general secretary of Swechchhasebak Dal’s Dhaka north unit, was shot just after 8:00pm on Wednesday in an alley near Hotel Superstar on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue.

He was accompanied by Abu Sufian Bepari Masud, general secretary of Tejgaon Van Workers’ Union, who sustained bullet injuries in the attack.

Masud was undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Mussabir’s wife yesterday filed a murder case with Tejgaon Police Station, accusing four-five unidentified assailants.

He was a BNP-backed candidate for the councillor post in ward-26 of Tejgaon in the city corporation polls in 2020.

A police official familiar with the investigation said they suspect that a top criminal was behind the murder, allegedly over extortion and councillor elections.

Family members and party activists claimed that Musabbir spent much of his time in jail during the Awami League regime and was repeatedly arrested in political cases.

Seeking anonymity, a senior Detective Branch official told The Daily Star that police are looking into several issues, including internal conflicts and attempts to establish dominance in Karwan Bazar. “We have already questioned several individuals as part of the investigation.”

According to Karwan Bazar traders, a large stretch of the footpath in the area has long been illegally occupied by vendors, from whom AL leaders and local gangs collected extortion money. The footpath is divided into several segments. 

Following the uprising, investigators claimed that the area is now controlled by various gangs with ties to political parties. 

Musabbir was attempting to take control of the area, the traders alleged.

On December 29 last year, a human chain of traders against extortion came under attack. Police arrested 11 people in this connection. 

Besides, police are also probing another dispute involving the control of a garage in the Farmgate area.

“These issues are being checked to see whether they align with the threats mentioned by his wife,” said a police official involved in the probe, adding that political motive behind the killing is also being looked into.

However, Musabbir’s younger brother Mahbubur Rahaman Azmaine dismissed the allegations of extortion against his brother and told this newspaper that his brother was involved in water supply business and providing internet services. 

Meanwhile, police have checked CCTV footage from the area and identified two suspects. “One of their faces is partially visible. If we can identify him, it will significantly advance the investigation,” said police official Ibne Mizan.

Police said CCTV footage shows two assailants fleeing the scene on foot, and more footage is being collected and analysed. Tejgaon police, along with DB and Rab, are jointly working to identify and arrest the suspects. 

Hailing from Shariatpur, Musabbir was the eldest among three siblings. His family lives on Garden Road of West Karwan Bazar.

Musabbir did not live in the Tejturi Bazar area. His wife said he visited the area occasionally. 

According to the case statement, Musabbir was with friends on the second floor of Hotel Superstar before leaving for home with Masud on Wednesday night. When they reached in front of Ahsanullah Institute in Tejturi Bazar around 8:20pm, four to five armed assailants blocked their way and opened fire indiscriminately.

Musabbir was shot in the right elbow and the right side of his abdomen and he collapsed on the spot. When Masud tried to help him, the attackers shot him in the left side of his abdomen. 

His autopsy was done at the Dhaka Medical College morgue yesterday.

In front of the morgue, his wife Suraiya told The Daily Star, “I cannot say for certain who was behind the killing. Since CCTV footage is available, I hope law enforcers will check it and take swift action against the attackers.” 

“Incidents like this have happened before, are happening now, and may happen again. Without a proper investigation, many more families like mine will suffer,” she said.