Police have arrested two people, including Demra Thana Chhatra Dal convener Mohammad Masud Rana, also known as ‘Kailla Masud’, in connection with a shooting at the residence of SM Reza Chowdhury Selim, convenor of the Demra Thana BNP.
The arrests were made during an overnight operation on Monday (31 August), police said.
One of the detainees, identified as Tapas, 38, was arrested from the Demra Bridge slope area at around 2.30am. Police said Tapas is a convicted accused in the Rubel murder case.
Following information obtained from Tapas, investigators later conducted an operation in the Barabo area of Tarabo municipality in Rupganj, Narayanganj. Masud Rana was subsequently arrested from the house of a man identified by police as Jalil.
Mallik Ahsan Chhami, deputy commissioner of the Wari Division, confirmed the arrests on Tuesday afternoon.
Police said they recovered two pistols, two magazines, five rounds of pistol ammunition, one single-barrel shotgun and eight shotgun cartridges during the operation.
According to Demra police, a search of an abandoned room at Jalil’s house in Barabo led to the recovery of an old single-barrel shotgun and eight cartridges found on a wooden platform. Officers later searched Tapas’s rented accommodation in the same area and recovered the two pistols, two magazines and five rounds of ammunition.
Demra police station officer-in-charge Mirza Taifur Rahman said Masud Rana was arrested in Rupganj with firearms. He added that, following instructions from senior officials, a case could be filed with Rupganj police in connection with the weapons recovered during the operation.
The officer said investigators used information technology to trace and arrest the two suspects.
Police have also levelled allegations against the two men concerning criminal activities in the Demra area. According to the police account, after 5 August, Tapas had allegedly been involved in various acts of violence while using the name of the BNP, with Masud Rana’s involvement. Police also alleged that the pair had been involved in drug trading in the Demra Thana area, allegedly using firearms to exert influence.
Masud Rana is the foster son of the late Shahjahan Mia of the Boxnagar area of Demra. Tapas is the son of the late Golam Mostafa of the Barabhanga Mahakash Road area. Police said Tapas had already been sentenced in the Rubel murder case.
The arrests follow a shooting incident at Reza Chowdhury Selim’s residence in the early hours of 28 August. According to the complaint, eight people arrived outside the house on four motorcycles and fired three rounds towards the residence.
The shooting damaged a glass window on the second floor of the building. No casualty was reported in the incident.
Police subsequently recovered two spent pistol cartridges and one shotgun cartridge from the scene. The recovered items are now being examined as investigators seek to establish whether the firearms seized from the two arrested men were used in the attack.
The investigation is also expected to focus on identifying the other individuals who allegedly took part in the shooting. Police are examining the circumstances surrounding the incident, the firearms recovered during the raids and the possible links between the two cases.
The allegations against the arrested individuals remain subject to investigation and judicial proceedings.
