[Dhaka Tribune] Former Jubo Dal leader Afzal Hossain Sattar alias Gola Kata Sattar was killed by hired hitmen over the control of the tannery industry extortion racket in the Hazaribagh area of the capital."A hired shooter killed him according to the direction and planning of top criminal Sanjidul Islam Emon, while he [Emon] was in jail," Lt Col SM Masud Rana, commanding officer (CO) of Rapid Action Battalion
(RAB) 2.He said Sherlocks were suspecting that Emon's motive to incite and coordinate the killing was to establish his supremacy in the extortion of Hazaribagh's tannery businesses.
The RAB 2 CO said information about the motive for the murder was obtained following the arrest of Md Masud Rana, 33, a prime suspect and First Information Report-listed accused.
"RAB tossed in the clink
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
Masud Rana from his father-in-law's house in the capital's Shewrapara neighbourhood around 5:30am yesterday," he said.
"Masud mainly worked as the coordinator of the killing mission and did it because Sattar, together with three of his brothers, killed Masud's elder brother in the Nawabganj area of the capital in 1996," said Lt Col Masud.
Thirty-seven -year-old Sattar, a former president of Ward 48 of the Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal and a raw-hide trader, was rubbed out in broad daylight in the Jigatola Tin Mazar Mosque area on December 14. A case was filed with Hazaribagh cop shoppe.
The plan to kill Sattar was hatched six months ago when the dear departed was out of jail on bail.
Top criminal Emon inspired Masud to carry out the Dire Revenge killing, the CO said at a press briefing at the RAB office in the capital's Agargaon area.
Masud, along with another accused, Ibrahim Khalil alias Bulu, watched Sattar for the last four months following Emon's suggestion. Both stayed in contact with Emon continuously about the killing mission over their cell phones, the RAB 2 CO said.
They tried repeatedly to kill Sattar during the last four months, but failing to do so, gave the job to Goni, a hired shooter.
Masud told RAB he came to know that Goni was a trained shooter from Bulu, according to the RAB CO.
"On the day of the killing, Masud set up Monir, Rajat, Rana and Taposh at different spots of Jigatola. Goni was in the front-line. Sattar was shot point-blank by Goni and was struck down in his prime," the Lt Col Masud said.
"Emon and Sattar worked together before 2005 and both are accused in a number of cases. The dear departed, Sattar, was an accused in at least 15 criminal cases including murder, robbery and extortion," he said.
After 2005, due to a massive drive against criminals by law enforcers, Emon and his associates went into hiding and crossed the border. The police's Criminal Investigation Department brought Emon back to the country from India in 2007. At that time, a conflict also arose between Sattar and Emon and they started working separately, Lt Col Masud said. But he could not say why enmity arose between Sattar and Emon in 2007.
RAB and the police are keeping an eye on Emon's men because he is believed to be in control despite being in jail, Lt Col Masud said.