Osman Hadi killing: Main suspects flee to India via Meghalaya border, Dhaka police say

Osman Hadi murder: Main suspects flee to India via Meghalaya border, Dhaka police say

Two key suspects in the murder of Bangladeshi political activist and Inqilab Mancho spokesperson Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi fled to India through the Meghalaya border after the killing, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said on Sunday, citing a report by The Daily Star.

Briefing the media at the DMP Media Centre, Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Operations) SNM Nazrul Islam said the accused, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, crossed into India via the Haluaghat border in Mymensingh with assistance from local contacts.

“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 said.

Police have received informal information suggesting that the two individuals who helped the suspects flee, Purti and Sami, have been detained by Indian authorities, though official confirmation is still awaited.

“We are maintaining communication with Indian authorities through both formal and informal channels to ensure their arrest and extradition,” Nazrul Islam added.

The Bangladesh government is coordinating closely with India to secure the return of the fugitives, with law enforcement agencies engaging through multiple channels to expedite the process.

The DMP has acknowledged that the main accused in Osman Hadi’s killing escaped the country shortly after the attack. Meanwhile, Meghalaya Police have arrested two individuals accused of assisting in the suspects’ movement after they crossed into India.

Earlier, DMP Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali said all those involved in the murder would be identified and publicly named. He described the killing as a complex case involving multiple perpetrators and confirmed that ten people have been arrested so far.

Police have also recovered the two pistols used in the shooting and sent them to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for forensic analysis. The motorcycle used by the attackers has been seized by the Detective Branch.

Osman Hadi was shot in broad daylight on December 12 in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore on December 18. The killing triggered widespread outrage and protests across Bangladesh.