Police are searching for a man believed to be linked to the murder of Ashraful Haque, whose dismembered body was recovered from two blue drums near Dhaka’s National Eidgah grounds on Thursday evening.
Shahbagh police identified the victim through fingerprint analysis. Ashraful was a resident of Nayapara village in Gopalpur Union under Badarganj in Rangpur and worked as a raw material importer.
Investigators said phone record analysis revealed suspicious and incoherent conversations between Ashraful and his friend Jarej, who travelled with him to Dhaka. Since the discovery, law enforcers have been trying to trace the missing friend.
Ashraful’s father, Abdur Rashid, said his son went to Dhaka around 9pm on Tuesday with Jarej, who had recently returned from Malaysia and sought a Tk20 lakh loan from him to go to Japan.
“My son had business dealings in Dhaka. He planned to collect money and give it to Jarej, so he took him along. But after they reached Dhaka, we heard nothing. In the evening I learned my son’s dismembered body had been found. If Jarej is caught, everything will be clear,” he said.
Ashraful’s wife, Laki Begum, said she contacted Jarej on Thursday afternoon after failing to reach her husband. Jarej told her he had Ashraful’s phone but refused to say where he was, raising her suspicion. After Ashraful’s identity was confirmed, family members also identified the remains. She blamed Jarej and demanded his execution.
Ashraful’s sister, Rahela Khatun, said they tried calling Jarej multiple times, but he gave different accounts of Ashraful’s whereabouts each time. Police are using those call records to advance the investigation.
Badarganj Police Station OC Atikur Rahman said they contacted the victim’s family after confirming his identity. The information provided has been forwarded to the Ramna Zone DC and Shahbagh Police Station. He said a case will be filed in Dhaka and Badarganj police will assist as needed.
Locals have expressed anger over the brutal killing. They described Ashraful as a generous man known for charity in his own and neighbouring villages. A neighbour said Ashraful donated 40 decimals of land for a Qawmi madrasa before leaving for Dhaka and had deposited Tk50,000 at a brick kiln for the construction of a mosque complex and madrasa.
