Two Confess in Shahid Minar Student Murder

In a major development in the brutal killing of college student Rakibul Hasan Rakib at Dhaka’s central Shahid Minar, two of the accused, Golam Rasul Shihab and Sagar Kabir, have given confessional statements in court. Meanwhile, two other suspects, Rafin Sheikh and Shahriar Nazim Joy, have been placed under five days’ remand for further questioning.

On Wednesday, 18 March, at the request of the investigation officer, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Kamal Uddin recorded the statements of the accused and issued the remand order. The case is being investigated by SI Md. Mithu Sarkar of Shahbagh Police Station, who confirmed the proceedings.

SI Sarkar explained that among the four suspects, Shihab was apprehended near Shahid Minar, Sagar in Patuakhali, and Rafin and Joy in Khulna. Following their arrests, all four were produced before the court. Shihab and Sagar voluntarily agreed to give confessional statements, which were duly recorded, while remand was requested for Rafin and Joy to facilitate further interrogation. The court granted a five-day remand for the latter two.

The investigation is ongoing to apprehend other individuals involved in the crime. The remand request highlighted the necessity to uncover the full circumstances of the murder, recover weapons used—including a pistol and a Chinese-made knife—and identify any additional collaborators or those who directed the killing.

According to the investigation officer, Shihab and Sagar have admitted, in preliminary confessions, that they carried out the killing under the instructions of top Khulna gangster Salauddin. Their statements were recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to ensure proper documentation for a fair investigation.

The victim, 25-year-old second-year undergraduate student Rakibul Hasan Rakib, was attacked on Sunday night while visiting Shahid Minar. According to the complaint filed by his father, Tarikul Islam Khokon, a Dhaka University staff member, Rakib was shot and stabbed by a group of five to six unknown individuals immediately after parking his motorcycle. Passersby rushed him to Dhaka Medical College, where he was later declared dead by the attending physicians.

The investigation continues, with authorities focusing on tracing remaining suspects and confirming the broader network behind this heinous crime.