Jamaat leader killing: Family alleges political link

Police have yet to identify the killers behind the murder of Anwar Ullah, a Jamaat-e-Islami leader, who was killed at his home in the capital’s Paschim Rajabazar early Tuesday.

Anwar, 65, a homeopathic practitioner, was the vice-president of ward-27 of Dhaka North City Corporation.

His family claimed the killing may be politically motivated, but police suspect it may be linked to theft.

Originally from Cumilla, Anwar had been living in a first-floor flat of a seven-storey building with his wife.

His son-in-law, Md Shamsuddoha, said two masked men entered the flat around 2:00am after cutting the grille.

“During the incident, my mother-in-law begged the assailants to take whatever valuables they wanted but not to harm her husband. After taking the valuables, they made sure to kill him before leaving,” he said, adding that he suspected it was a “planned and political” murder.

Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Monirul Islam Monir told The Daily Star they could not arrest anyone yet, adding that the family would come to Dhaka tomorrow and file a case.

He said several teams were investigating the incident.

Meanwhile, local Jamaat leaders and activists held a protest rally in the Farmgate area yesterday evening, demanding immediate arrest of the killers.

They said more than 24 hours had passed, but no visible action had been taken by the police.