Murder of trader found dismembered: 2 held as Police, RAB give conflicting motives

Staff Reporter :

Police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have arrested two suspects in the gruesome murder of raw-material trader Ashraful Haque, 42, whose body — cut into 26 pieces — was recovered from the High Court intersection area in Dhaka earlier this week.

The agencies, however, presented sharply different accounts of the motive behind the killing during separate press briefings on Saturday.

RAB-3 commanding officer Lt Col Fayezul Arefin briefed the media at 10:00am at the force’s Karwan Bazar media centre, presenting details based on the confessional statement of accused Shamima Akhter, 33. Two hours later, at the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road, Additional Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam of the Detective Branch (DB) outlined a different version of events based on the statement of “prime suspect” Jorejul Islam, 39.

According to RAB, the killing was driven by a plan to extort Tk 1 million from Ashraful. Shamima told investigators that she had been in a relationship with Jorejul for over a year, and that the pair agreed to lure Ashraful into a trap to blackmail him. On 11 November, Ashraful and Jorejul travelled together from Rangpur to Dhaka, where Shamima joined them the next day. The three rented a flat in the capital’s Shonir Akhra neighbourhood as part of the plan.

RAB said Shamima prepared a sedative-laced drink for Ashraful and later recorded compromising footage with him to use as blackmail. Once Ashraful was unconscious, Jorejul tied him with rope, sealed his mouth with scotch tape and beat him with a hammer. RAB claims Ashraful died from suffocation and assault. The next morning, the two suspects bought plastic drums and other supplies, dismembered the body with a machete and dumped the parts near the High Court using a CNG-run autorickshaw. RAB says it has recovered bloodstained clothing, rope and tape used in the killing, as well as the footage from Shamima’s phone.

The DB, however, asserted that the murder stemmed from a love triangle. According to Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam, Jorejul, a Malaysia expatriate, had met Shamima on a mobile app more than three years ago, and the two developed a relationship. After returning to Bangladesh about six weeks ago, Jorejul resumed contact with her. When his wife uncovered the affair, she sought help from his friend Ashraful and gave him Shamima’s number, leading Ashraful to develop his own romantic involvement with her.

DB officials said Shamima had also promised to help send Jorejul to Japan for Tk 1.4 million, offering to contribute half the amount herself. To secure the money and begin the process, Jorejul and Ashraful travelled to Dhaka on 11 November; Shamima joined them as they rented a Shonir Akhra flat.

According to police, tensions escalated after Jorejul discovered Shamima’s relationship with Ashraful. During a heated altercation, Shamima began screaming, prompting Jorejul to tie up Ashraful and strike him with a hammer. Police say he then stuffed a scarf into Ashraful’s mouth and sealed it with tape, causing him to suffocate. The pair later dismembered the body and disposed of it in drums, mirroring the details laid out by RAB.

Both agencies said the suspects were arrested Friday evening in separate operations in Dhaka and Cumilla. Investigators are now working to reconcile the conflicting statements and verify which version aligns with forensic evidence and CCTV footage.

Ashraful’s killing has shocked the capital with its brutality, and investigators say further arrests and additional interrogations may follow as the case unfolds.