Dhaka (Bangladesh): Two prime suspects in the murder of Bangladeshi youth leader and election candidate Sharif Osman Hadi have escaped from the country and are believed to be hiding in India, a senior Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) official said on Sunday.
Hadi, 32, a leader of the Inquilab Moncho and a parliamentary candidate for the February 12 elections, was shot in the head on December 12 while campaigning in Dhaka. He was airlifted to Singapore for advanced medical treatment but succumbed to his injuries on December 18.
Addressing a press conference at the DMP Media Centre, Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Operations) S N Md Nazrul Islam identified the suspects as Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh. He said preliminary investigations suggest that the duo crossed into India through the Haluaghat border with the help of local associates.
According to police inputs, after crossing the border, the suspects entered the Indian state of Meghalaya, where they were initially received by an individual identified as Purti. They were later transported to Tura town by a taxi driver named Sami, Islam said, citing information published by Bangladeshi daily The Daily Star.
The police official did not specify when the suspects fled Bangladesh. There was no immediate response from Indian authorities on the matter till Sunday evening.
Sharif Osman Hadi had risen to prominence during the July–August 2024 mass street protests that eventually led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government. His killing has sparked widespread outrage across Bangladesh, with investigators continuing efforts to trace and arrest all those involved in the attack.
