UK expatriate doctor killed by tenants at Hazaribagh, 3 arrested

Three people have been arrested by police in connection with the murder of Dr AKM Abdur Rashid, a Bangladesh origin British physician, at his Hazaribagh residence in the capital on November 15 last.

They were arrested from Dumuria in Khulna and Mohammadpur in Dhaka on Friday (November 29).

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)’s Ramna Division’s deputy commissioner (DC) Masud Alam stated it reporters while addressing a press conference at the DMP Media Center in the capital on Saturday (November 30) morning.

The arrested were Md Nayeem Khan, 22, Md Zahidur Rahman Rifat, 20, and Md Abu Taher Sikder alias Shaon, 22. A sharp knife used in the killing was also recovered by police.

The accused were later sent to court to deliver their confessional statements after their arrest two weeks into the murder.

Police said two of the accused were the tenants at Dr Rashid’s house at Hazaribagh. Trouble was going on for a long time over the rent issue between them. The accused planned to commit robbery to realise money making Dr Rashid hostage. At one stage of the robbery at the physician couple’s residence at Hazaribagh, the killers stabbed Dr Rashid’s chest several times with a sharp knife. The physician was critically injured due to repeated stabbings.

When Dr Rashid’s wife started shouting, the culprits fled away from the house. Critically injured Dr Rashid was rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where an on–duty doctor pronounced him dead.

In connection with the murder, the victim’s cousin Md Rezaul Karim filed a murder case with Hazaribagh Police Station on November 15 last.

During the preliminary investigation into the case, it was learnt that arrested Nayeem Khan and Zahidur Rahman used to live in a flat of Dr Rashid’s house turning it into a mess. They had a strong disagreement with the victim’s wife at different times over paying of outstanding rents. It made them angry on the victim and his wife. Both Nayeem and Zahid planned to open a restaurant using the money after robbery at Dr Rashid’s house.

According to their plan, at the dead of night on November 15 last, both Nayeem and Rifat, along with Shaon entered Dr Rashid’s house by climbing the boundary wall of the victim’s house. At that time, Dr Rashid woke up from sleep to offer Tahazzud prayer and he sensed the presence of the arrested persons inside his flat. When Dr Rashid tried to resist then, there was a scuffle between him and the arrested persons. At one stage, the victim was killed being hacked by a sharp knife on his chest repeatedly.

Police said fair investigation into the murder case was going on and next legal action against them under process.