The brutal murder of Lal Chand alias Sohag, 39, a scrap metal trader, in front of Mitford (Sir Salimullah Medical College) Hospital in Old Dhaka was driven by a conflict over control of the illegal electricity wire business, police claimed.
The people involved in the murder and the victim Lal Chand were previously known to each other, they said.
Later, the police said, the murder took place due to a conflict of interest. So far, nine people, including two people who hit Lal Chand by a big stone, have been arrested .
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali told these at a press conference on the progress of the Lal Chand murder case at DMP Media Centre in the capital on Wednesday afternoon.
DMP Commissioner said that the police reached the spot within a few minutes after receiving information through the emergency service number 999.
When they reached there, the police found that the accused were trying to create a mob like atmosphere. They were shouting slogans like ‘No place for extortionists, no fear for businessmen’.
Mohin and Robin were arrested from the spot and the surrounding area immediately after the incident.
Later, seven more people were arrested after analysing the CCTV footage. The two persons, who threw concrete boulder, were also arrested. So far, nine people have been arrested in this incident.
In response to a question about whether the accused have political affiliations, Sheikh Sajjat Ali said that any citizen of the country may have a political affiliation.
“That is a different matter. Political affiliation has nothing to do with this incident,” he said.
While responding to another question about the reason behind the murder, DMP Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) SN Md Nazrul Islam said that the murder was committed due to a business dispute.
The murder was not committed for any other purpose, he claimed.
Lal Chand was in the business of stealing Polli Bidyut electricity cables during the previous government, the police said adding, after the change of government, another group got involved in this business. As a result, there was a rift between them. The two groups knew each other from before.
On July 9, a group of people brutally murdered Lal Chand in public on the busy road in front of Mitford Hospital.
A case was filed with the Kotwali Police Station in the capital on July 10 in connection with the murder of Lal Chand.
Manjuara Begum, sister of the deceased Lal Chand, filed the case as the plaintiff, accusing 19 named people and another 15 to 20 unidentified individuals