Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-3) has arrested the prime accused and another suspect in connection with the murder of Qatar expatriate Sifat Ullah, 27, who was stabbed to death at a flat in the Adarshapara Boroitola area of Sabujbagh in the capital.
The victim’s girlfriend, Nafiza Sheikh Neha, 23, who was already in police custody, has also been shown arrested in connection with the case.
According to RAB, the killing of Sifat Ullah was the fallout of a “love triangle” dispute.
These details were disclosed by Commanding Officer of RAB-3 Faizul Arefin, at a press briefing held at the battalion’s headquarters in Shahjahanpur on Monday.
The suspects arrested by RAB have been identified as Al Amin Hossain Joy, 27, the prime accused in the case, and Md Sajidul Islam Sajid, 24, the second accused.
Faijul Arefin said Sajid was arrested from Hajibari Balurpar area of Khilgaon at around 2am on Monday.
Based on information extracted from him during interrogation, RAB officers arrested the prime accused, Joy, from Shekher Jayga Bazar area under Khilgaon Police Station at around 5am.
During interrogation, the suspects revealed that Sifat Ullah, a Qatar expatriate, had returned to Bangladesh from Qatar approximately one and a half months ago. Sifat had been in a long-term romantic relationship with Nafiza Sheikh Neha.
Simultaneously, Neha had also been in a romantic relationship with Sajid for over four years, and Sajid was unaware of Neha’s relationship with Sifat.
On Neha’s birthday celebration, Sajid learned about Sifat’s relationship with Neha and subsequently ended his relationship with her.
Meanwhile, Joy, who was a school-time friend of Neha, was known in the locality as a local “big brother” with a reputation for criminal activity.
He would occasionally visit Neha’s rented room with his friends to consume drugs. Sifat, upon learning of this, had forbidden them from entering the flat, which sparked deep resentment among Joy and his associates.
RAB-3 further said that Neha had rented a sublet room in Madartek Boroitola area to run an online business. On Sunday at around 3pm, Sifat arrived at the flat on his motorcycle to meet Neha.
Receiving information about Sifat’s arrival, Joy’s associates – identified as Yasin, Onik, Tuhin, and Raju, along with several others – went up to the flat, while Joy waited downstairs.
An altercation and a subsequent physical scuffle broke out between Sifat and the intruders inside the room, leaving Yasin and Raju injured. The associates then retreated downstairs, and Sifat followed them down in an attempt to leave the area on his motorcycle.
At that point, Joy’s associates threw bricks at Sifat from behind, causing him to fall to the ground. Joy then struck Sifat violently on the head with a stick, while the others repeatedly hacked and stabbed him with sharp knives. The attackers also vandalised Sifat’s motorcycle.
Locals rescued the critically injured Sifat and rushed him to Mugda Medical College Hospital.
As his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.
Sifat’s family has filed a murder case as plaintiffs with Sabujbagh Police Station.
RAB confirmed that Joy was directly involved in the physical assault that killed Sifat, and Sajid was arrested as the second accused. The individuals involved are reported to belong to the same social circle.
Meanwhile, Saiful Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sabujbagh Police Station, said Neha was initially detained in police custody immediately after the incident.
She was shown arrested after the murder case was filed and her involvement in the incident was established.
