Detective Branch (DB) of police on Saturday stated the murder of Swechchhasebak Dal leader Azizur Rahman Musabbir in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar area was driven by rivalry over extortion and establishing supremacy in the market.

Disclosing the findings at a press briefing at DMP Media Centre, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner and DB Chief Shafikul Islam said the killing was planned as part of a power struggle among extortion syndicates operating in the area.

According to the DB chief, eight to nine extortion syndicates are active in and around Karwan Bazar, collecting money both openly and covertly. Disputes over control of extortion operations and the distribution of proceeds led to the murder.

Police have preliminarily confirmed that the killing was ordered by underworld criminal Dilip alias Binash, who is currently absconding abroad.“Extortionists do not belong to any specific political group,” Shafikul Islam said. “To sustain their illegal dominance in a large wholesale market like Karwan Bazar, they often take shelter under political banners.”

Musabbir, former general secretary of Dhaka North metropolitan unit of Swechchhasebak Dal, was shot dead on January 7 in an alley beside Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue.One of the main shooters, Md Rahim, was arrested on Friday from Madhabdi in Narsingdi.

Police recovered two foreign-made pistols, two magazines and 12 rounds of ammunition from Rahim’s possession.Earlier, on January 11, DB arrested four other suspects; Jinnat, Abdul Kadir, Md Riaz and Md Bilal, in connection with the killing.

With Rahim’s arrest, a total of five accused are now in police custody.Based on CCTV footage analysis, police said Rahim and Jinnat were directly involved in the shooting. Following their arrest, one of the accused gave a confessional statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, revealing that the attack was carried out on the instructions of “Dada,” a reference to Binash.

Although Binash is currently abroad, extortion in Karwan Bazar is still being carried out using his name.

Warning the extortion networks, the DB chief said, “We will soon dismantle all extortion syndicates operating in Karwan Bazar. Special drives will be launched in the area shortly.”
He also said that a group is attempting to destabilise the country ahead of the upcoming elections, but police remain on high alert.
Over the past month, law enforcement agencies have recovered a record 13 firearms, he added.