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Journo Aftab Killing

Death-row convict held nine years after murder

  • Staff Correspondent
  • 27 January, 2023 12:00 AM
  • Print news

A fugitive death row convict was arrested on Wednesday, nine years after the murder of journalist Aftab Ahmed in the capital. The journalist was an Ekushey Padak Award winner.

The arrestee is Razu Munshi, who was convicted of killing the journalist at his home on December 24, 2013.

He was arrested from the bordering area of Dinajpur district on Wednesday.

Five people, including the victim's driver, took part in the killing mission. Driver Humayun was Razu's relative.

MM Hasanul Jahid, superintendent of police (intelligence) of the Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU), revealed this at a press briefing at its office in Baridhara on Sunday.

According to the police officer, Razu was arrested after the murder of the journalist. After coming out on bail, he went into hiding and cut off communication with his family members.

During his fugitive life, he lived in bordering areas and different parts of the country. The criminals conspired to grab the house of the journalist and loot his cash.

On December 24, 2013, they entered the victim's house at Wapda in West Rampura in the name of helping the journalist rent out his flat to a tenant, while driver Humayun accompanied him. And soon, they began to loot cash and valuables from the house. As Aftab started shouting, the criminals suffocated him to death.

On December 26, that year, a murder case was filed with Rampura Police Station, accusing five people who were arrested later.

After one year, Razu and another accused came out on bail and went into hiding.

On March 28, 2017, a Dhaka court sentenced the five accused to death and one to seven years in prison.

Aftab Ahmed worked at the Bangla daily Ittefaq. He snapped many important and rare photos during the country’s liberation war. He was given the Ekushey Padak Award for his outstanding contribution to photojournalism in 2006.