Hadi murder case: Arms seller Mazedul on 3-day remand

A court has granted a three-day remand for Md. Mazedul Haque Helal, an arms dealer arrested in the murder case of Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman bin Hadi.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam passed the order on Wednesday after a hearing.

Earlier, the investigation officer, CID Assistant Superintendent of Police Abdul Qadir Bhuiyan, produced the accused before the court and sought a seven-day remand for interrogation.

In the remand plea, it was stated that the accused is the owner of an arms shop, whose licence was valid until December 31, 2014, but was not renewed afterward.

It further said the weapon was purchased from Islam Uddin Ahmed & Sons without licence renewal, raising questions about how the firearm reached the accused in the case, requiring custodial interrogation to uncover the source and connections.

The prosecution, represented by Public Prosecutor Harun-or-Rashid, argued that the case is widely discussed and still under public attention, and that custodial interrogation is necessary to trace how the weapon reached the accused.

No defence lawyer appeared for Helal. When asked by the court if he had anything to say, he replied “no.”

The court later granted a three-day remand.
Police arrested Helal on April 14 from the Chawkbazar area in Chattogram.

According to the case details, Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Mancha, was shot by unidentified assailants on December 12 at Box Culvert Road in the Paltan Model Thana area while riding a motorcycle.

He sustained critical head injuries and was treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later at Evercare Hospital. He was later flown to Singapore for advanced treatment on December 15, where he died on December 18.

The case was initially filed as an attempted murder case on December 14 by Inquilab Mancha member secretary Abdullah Al Jaber at Paltan Police Station and was later converted into a murder case.

After investigation, the Detective Branch submitted a charge sheet on January 6 against 17 individuals, including former ward councillor Taijul Islam Chowdhury Bappi and Faisal Karim Masud. However, the complainant later filed a no-confidence petition, which was accepted, and the court ordered further investigation by the CID.