Osman Hadi murder: Two suspects nabbed by West Bengal STF
India’s West Bengal Police Special Task Force has arrested two Bangladeshi nationals accused in the killing of Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi, a spokesperson for Inqilab Mancha, near the border area of Bongaon in India’s West Bengal.
The suspects — Faisal Karim Masud and Md Alamgir Sheikh — were detained for illegally entering and staying in India, according to a statement released by the STF and cited by Indian news agency Asian News International on Sunday.
According to the STF, the two were intercepted during a raid conducted in the Bongaon border area on the intervening night of 7–8 March after police received credible intelligence that two Bangladeshi nationals involved in serious crimes in
Bangladesh had fled the country and entered India illegally.
The statement said the suspects had crossed into India through the border in Meghalaya after the killing and had moved through several locations in India before arriving in Bongaon. Investigators believe they were attempting to cross back into Bangladesh when an opportunity arose.
Police identified the detainees as Masud, 37, a resident of Patuakhali in Bangladesh, and Alamgir Hossain, 34, from Dhaka. Both have been placed in police custody for interrogation after being produced before a local court, the STF said, adding that a case has been filed in connection with their illegal entry and suspected criminal activities.
Officials at the Bangladesh Police headquarters told The Business Standard that they had not yet received any formal communication from the Indian authorities regarding the arrests.
Hadi was shot on 12 December at around 2:20 pm when assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on him, leaving him critically wounded with gunshot injuries to the head and below the right ear.
He was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later transferred to Evercare Hospital Dhaka for treatment.
As his condition deteriorated, he was flown to Singapore by air ambulance on 15 December for advanced medical care. He died there on 18 December while undergoing treatment, about a week after the attack.
Following the shooting, a case was filed with Paltan Police Station on 14 December on charges of attempted murder. After Hadi’s death, the case was converted into a murder case.
Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies later identified Masud as the gunman who fired at Hadi. Investigators from the Bangladesh Police and the Rapid Action Battalion said Alamgir had been riding the motorcycle used in the attack.
On 6 January, police submitted a charge sheet naming 17 accused in the case. So far, 12 individuals have been arrested in connection with the killing.
