DB: Plan to kill MP Anar was devised in Dhaka months ago

The Detective Branch (DB) of The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) chief Additional Commissioner Harunor Rashid on Thursday said that the plan to kill MP Anwarul Azim Anar was devised two to three months ago. Due to police surveillance in Dhaka, Kolkata was chosen as the location for the murder.

He disclosed the information with reporters at the DB office in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon.

The DB chief revealed that initial plans to kill MP Anwarul Azim Anar were made in two houses located in Gulshan and Bashundhara in the capital, two to three months prior.

The original plan was to carry out the murder in Dhaka. However, due to the extensive surveillance by the Bangladesh police, the perpetrators decided to commit the crime in Kolkata.

Harunor Rashid explained that the criminals chose Kolkata because they believed they would evade the attention of the Bangladesh police by committing the crime on foreign soil.

“They did not dare to carry out the crime in Bangladesh. However, their efforts to escape justice were in vain. The police have arrested three individuals, and several others are under surveillance,” he added.

He said the police are working to recover the body of the slain MP. “The Kolkata and Bangladesh police are working jointly on this case. if not the entire body, hopefully, some parts will be recovered.”

Harun said: “We will arrest those involved. We have obtained their names and contact numbers. The cause of the incident is still under investigation. The mastermind of this murder and the victim were friends and used to play sports together. We will look into whether there were any business dealings between them.”

Regarding the accused in the murder, the DB chief said: "Those we have arrested are leaders of a notorious criminal group in Bangladesh, formerly known as the Purbo Banglar Communist Party. They have many cases against them. We cannot yet determine if the motive was related to economic, political, or other reasons until the investigation is complete."

According to sources, the MP crossed the Darshana-Gede border into India for treatment on May 12. Anar went to his Indian friend Gopal Biswas’s home in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal.

The following day, he went out at noon to see a doctor and was supposed to return in the evening.  However, he apparently went to Delhi instead and sent a WhatsApp message to Biswas, saying he would call if necessary.

Since then, he could not be reached by phone.

Eventually, the government confirmed his death on Wednesday, quoting Indian police.