Hadi murder: Arms trader Majedul on three-day remand

A Dhaka court on Wednesday placed Md Majedul Haque Helal, a suspected arms trader from Chattogram, on a three-day remand in a case filed over the murder of Inquilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman bin Hadi.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam passed the order following a seven-day remand petition filed by the investigation officer of the case, CID Assistant Superintendent of Police Abdul Kadir Bhuiyan.

Earlier on Tuesday, the accused was arrested from the Chawkbazar area of Chattogram.

During the hearing, state prosecutor Harun-or-Rashid pleaded in favour of the remand plea, while no lawyer appeared on behalf of the accused. When the court asked whether he wished to say anything, the accused said he had nothing to say.

According to the remand application, the firearm used in the Osman Hadi murder was recovered from Narsingdi, and a case was filed there under the Arms Act. Forensic examination confirmed that the cartridges and bullets recovered from the crime scene were fired from the same pistol.

Micro-analysis also helped identify the serial number of the weapon. The investigation revealed that the pistol was imported by MIH Arms Company in Dhaka and sold to Islam Uddin Ahmed and Sons on 3 December 2017.

Later, in February 2018, Islam Uddin Ahmed and Sons sold the pistol to Hamidul Haque Arms and Co in Chattogram. Investigators found that the shop belonged to the accused, Majedul Haque Helal, whose licence had not been renewed after 31 December 2014.

Majedul needs to be interrogated to determine how the weapon reached the hands of the perpetrators, the plea said.

Sharif Osman bin Hadi was shot on Box Culvert Road in Paltan on 12 December 2025, a day after the schedule for the 13th parliamentary election was announced. He had intended to contest the election from Dhaka-8 as an independent candidate.

On 14 December, Inquilab Moncho member secretary Abdullah Al Jaber filed a case with Paltan Police Station over the incident. Osman later died on 18 December while undergoing treatment in Singapore. The case was subsequently converted into a murder case.