Two people have been arrested in connection with the murder of Rangpur businessman Ashraful Haque, whose dismembered body was found near the National Eidgah grounds, adjacent to the High Court.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the killing was motivated by an extramarital affair.
The prime suspect, Jarejul Islam, also known as Jarej, a close friend of the victim, was apprehended during a police raid in the Daudkandi area of Cumilla on Friday night, confirmed Deputy Police Commissioner Muhammad Talebur Rahman of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
In a separate development, RAB-3 reported that Shamima, the girlfriend of the main accused, was also arrested in connection with the murder. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) added that several key pieces of evidence were seized during the operation.
According to DMP officials, Ashraful, 43, a raw-goods trader from Rangpur, had arrived in Dhaka three days earlier with Jarej and had been missing since then.
On Thursday evening, police discovered two blue drums near the National Eidgah grounds. Upon opening them, they found the body of an unidentified man, later confirmed as Ashraful by the CID’s Crime Scene Unit through fingerprint analysis.
Following the gruesome discovery, the victim’s younger sister, Anjira Begum, filed a murder case with Shahbagh Police Station, naming Jarej as the prime accused.
In her complaint, Anjira stated that her brother supplied raw goods, including onions, garlic, chilies, and potatoes, from Hili Land Port in Dinajpur to markets across the country.
She added that Ashraful had come to Dhaka on 11 November at around 8pm with Jarej. After that, his mobile phone became unreachable.
Family members suspect that Jarej, with the help of unidentified accomplices, deliberately attacked and killed Ashraful with sharp weapons at some point between the night of 11 November and the night of 13 November.
The investigation is ongoing, with police searching for additional suspects and tracing the sequence of events leading up to the murder.
The body of Ashraful Haque was buried at his family graveyard in Nayapara, Badarganj, Rangpur on Saturday.
Funeral prayers (Namaz-e-Janaza) were held at 8:30am at the under-construction Gopaltapur Nayapara Al Mahfuz Madrasa ground, after which he was laid to rest in the adjacent family graveyard. A large number of relatives, friends, and local residents attended the prayers and burial, mourning the tragic loss.
Earlier in the morning, Haque’s body was brought to the village by ambulance around 3:30am. Upon seeing him, family members and locals were overcome with grief, breaking down in tears.
