Police have arrested two people with weapons in connection with the murder of listed terrorist Abdus Sobhan, 36, who was stabbed to death in front of his house in the Takktarpul area of Bakalia in Chattogram city.
The arrestees are Aamier Hossain alias Bullet, 23, and Momena Begum, 45. Police recovered a locally made LG, a da and a steel-tipped knife. A joint team of Bakalia Police Station and the police’s specialised team SRB arrested them during a raid in the Takktarpul area on Thursday night. Police said operations were under way to arrest others involved in the killing.
According to police, members of the Shawkat group attacked Sobhan at the entrance to the alley in front of his house in Takktarpul at around midnight on Wednesday. Initial investigations suggest the attack stemmed from previous enmity over drug trading and a rivalry to establish dominance in the area.
The attackers repeatedly hacked him with sharp weapons. His relatives rushed him to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) in critical condition, but the attending doctor declared him dead.
Sobhan, son of Nur Islam, was ranked 28th on the Chattogram city police’s list of listed terrorists and was known as a local gang leader.
Local sources and police said Sobhan faced at least 19 cases involving murder, drugs, brawls and arms offences. He was also accused of being one of the key planners in the widely discussed Mohiuddin murder case, in which he allegedly hired hitmen and supplied them with foreign-made pistols and ammunition.
Officials consider the dispute over control of the drug trade and territorial dominance central to Sobhan’s murder. Once a follower of Morshed Khan, Sobhan later formed his own criminal gang.
According to local sources, tensions between the two factions developed over control of various activities and businesses, including drug trading, the supply of bricks and sand, jhut (garment waste), internet services and land grabbing.
Following the political shift on 5 August 2024, Morshed Khan returned to the area. Tensions between the groups intensified over control of the criminal activities and businesses previously dominated by Sobhan, leading to several clashes between their followers.
Shahinoor Alam, officer-in-charge of Bakalia Police Station, said police raids were continuing to identify and arrest others involved in the murder. Legal proceedings were also under way.
