Chittagong District Detective Branch has arrested four individuals in connection with the brutal murder of Mohammad Karim in the Keranihat area of Urkirchar Union, Raozan. District Superintendent of Police (SP) Masud Alam disclosed the developments during a press briefing on Monday, 14 September.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Md. Selim, 50, Syed Mohammad Shukur, 27, Md. Javed, 28, and Md. Alamin, 29. All four men reside in the Urkirchar locality under Raozan Police Station and possess prior police records involving theft and kidnapping.
According to the police briefing, the killing stemmed from a dispute over a stolen motorbike belonging to Azgar, the uncle of a local man named Parvez. Around ten days prior to the murder, the vehicle went missing. Citing longstanding personal enmity, Parvez suspected Karim of the theft and repeatedly pressured him to return it. Despite Karim’s steadfast denials, Parvez remained unconvinced and plotted to eliminate him.
On the evening of 3 September, around 9:20 pm, Parvez lured Karim to the Keranihat market area in Raozan. Upon his arrival, a group of assailants arrived in a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw and surrounded him. The attackers shot Karim before hacking him repeatedly with sharp weapons, ensuring his death on the spot before fleeing.
Although four accomplices are now in custody, Parvez, the primary suspect and mastermind behind the attack, remains at large. Police confirmed that Parvez is a habitual offender with numerous pending cases across Raozan and Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) stations, including charges of murder, robbery, illegal firearms possession, explosives offences, and violence against women and children.
Investigating officers and local sources revealed that Karim himself carried a significant criminal background and a volatile political history. During the previous Awami League administration, he was affiliated with its youth wing, the Jubo League, and allegedly controlled illicit drug distribution in the locality. His involvement in drug trafficking eventually led the local Union Parishad chairman to banish him from the area. Following the political shift on 5 August 2024, Karim returned to Raozan and attempted to align himself with the Jubo Dal, the youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Police records show that Karim faced at least ten cases across Raozan, Rangamati Sadar, and CMP stations involving charges of theft, robbery, rape, and weapons offences.
SP Masud Alam stated that while the motorcycle theft triggered the immediate conflict, investigators are looking into earlier rivalries as potential contributing factors. Intelligence operations remain active to locate and apprehend Parvez and another suspect involved in the crime.
