A “honeytrap” extortion scheme orchestrated by a businessman’s friend led to the killing and dismemberment of Rangpur trader Ashraful Haque, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said on Saturday, detailing how he was lured to Dhaka, drugged and murdered before his body was dumped near the High Court in two plastic drums.

RAB investigators said Ashraful’s friend Md Jarezul Islam teamed up with his lover Shamima Akhter Kohinur to entangle the victim in a staged romantic affair, secretly film him in compromising moments and then demand Tk10 lakh as blackmail. Instead, the plot culminated in a brutal killing inside a rented flat in the capital.

According to RAB-3, Shamima admitted her role in helping lure the victim but claimed the extortion plan unexpectedly turned violent.

Officers said they still need Jarezul’s full statement to determine whether revenge or other motives were involved.

Police on Friday arrested Jarezul from Daudkandi in Cumilla. Shamima was picked up earlier from her family home in Laksam.

A Dhaka court on Saturday placed both of them on a five-day remand for further interrogation.