Staff Reporter :
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has detected more than Tk127 crore in suspicious financial transactions linked to Faisal Karim Masud, the prime accused in the murder of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, and his associates.
The findings have prompted the launch of a money laundering investigation, signalling a major financial angle in the high-profile killing.
In a press release issued) on Sunday, the CID said an analysis of bank accounts belonging to Faisal and individuals and entities connected to him revealed abnormal transactions exceeding Tk127 crore.
The agency noted that the transactions may be linked to money laundering, organised crime and possible terrorist financing.
Based on these preliminary findings, the CID has initiated an investigation under the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012.
The agency said it is also taking legal steps to confiscate around Tk65 lakh currently held in various bank accounts of the accused and his related individuals and entities, with the aim of transferring the funds to the state at the earliest possible time.
Alongside the financial probe, multiple CID teams are investigating whether any organised or influential network was involved in planning the murder, arranging financing or supplying weapons used in the killing.
The agency said efforts are ongoing to trace the original sources of the suspicious funds and identify possible links to broader criminal activities.
Meanwhile, legal pressure has mounted through a writ petition filed with the High Court seeking immediate arrest of all those involved in Hadi’s murder.
The petition also calls for the repatriation of suspects believed to be abroad through Interpol and the imposition of travel bans on suspects still in Bangladesh to prevent them from fleeing.
The writ was filed on Sunday by Arifur Rahman Murad Bhuiyan, founder and executive director of the human rights organisation SARDA Society. He said the matter could be placed before a High Court division bench later this week.
The respondents named in the petition include the secretary of the Public Security Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the inspector general of police (IGP), the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner and the chief of Interpol’s National Central Bureau (NCB), Bangladesh.
Speaking to reporters, the petitioner said the writ seeks specific directives to ensure the arrest and prosecution of all individuals involved in the killing.
He questioned why international mechanisms had not yet been fully utilised if key suspects were outside the country, stressing the need for Interpol action to bring them back to face trial.
Although law enforcement agencies have not officially confirmed the whereabouts of prime accused Faisal Karim Masud, there has been widespread speculation that he may have fled to India.
Police have arrested several individuals accused of helping him escape and placed them on remand, but no formal confirmation has been given regarding his location.
Addressing the issue, Additional Inspector General of Police Khandaker Rafiqul Islam said on Sunday evening that authorities have no reliable information yet to confirm that Faisal has left the country.
Speaking at a press briefing on the progress of Devil Hunt Phase-2 and the overall law and order situation at the Home Ministry, he cautioned against misinformation about suspects’ movements.
He added that multiple law enforcement agencies are continuing investigations on several fronts and that substantial evidence has already been collected.
So far, 10 people allegedly involved in planning the murder have been arrested, he said, as authorities intensify efforts to bring all those responsible to justice.
