Another suspect arrested in journalist Alif murder case, nephew of 'Shooter Shamim' in police custody
The Special Response Battalion (SRB) has arrested another suspect, Ashiqur Rahman Prangon (21), in the case over the shooting murder of journalist Lutfuzzaman Alif Fakir in Durgapur, Netrokona. He was arrested in a special operation at around 11:45 pm on Tuesday (October 20) in the Shaheed Minar area of Durgapur municipal town.
Mymensingh SRB-14 announced the information in a press release on Wednesday afternoon. The arrested Ashiqur Rahman Prangon is the son of Md Shahin Mia, a resident of the Kacharir Mor area of Bagichapara in Durgapur municipal town.
Durgapur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Khandaker Shaker Ahmed said the arrested Prangon is the nephew of a criminal known in the area as 'Shooter Shamim'. There are at least 30 cases against Shooter Shamim at the police station, including at least three murder cases.
The OC said Prangon is currently in police custody. Work is under way to send him to court after completing the necessary legal process.
SRB sources said the battalion has launched a combing operation to arrest those involved in the murder of journalist Alif. With the help of technology and intelligence information, Prangon was arrested from the Shaheed Minar area of Durgapur town and handed over to the concerned police station.
On the matter, Mymensingh SRB-14 Senior Assistant Director, Additional Superintendent of Police Abul Hasan said, 'Not everything can be said in the interest of the investigation, but I can say this much: considering the technical aspects of the incident, the arrested Prangon can be considered one of the accused in this incident.'
The slain Alif Fakir was the Netrokona correspondent of private television channel 'Ruposhi Bangla'. He also ran a Facebook page called 'Detective Article' on social media, where he published investigative reports on smuggling in the border area and various criminal activities and irregularities.
Earlier, on the night of October 15, journalist Alif was shot dead by criminals in the Telenjia area of Utrail Bazar on the Shyamganj-Birishiri road in Durgapur upazila.
The day after the murder, on October 16, the victim's wife Anandita Sangma filed a case with Durgapur Police Station as the complainant, accusing seven to eight unidentified people.
On October 18, police arrested a young suspect named Apurba (22) in the case and sent him to jail through the court. Apurba is now on a four-day police remand.
OC Khandaker Shaker Ahmed said quite a lot of information has been obtained in interrogation and is being verified. He needs to be questioned further in the interest of the investigation of the case. The investigation into this sensational murder is proceeding along multiple leads, he said, and it is not possible to disclose everything right now in the interest of the investigation.
As Netrokona is a border district, criminals sometimes try to flee across the border after committing a crime, which creates some complexity in arresting the accused. Police are working in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, it was stated.
Speakers at a human chain said the real criminals must be identified through a proper investigation into the murder of journalist Lutfuzzaman Alif Fakir and brought under the law quickly. At the same time, an impartial trial must be ensured and the guilty given the maximum punishment.
With Prangon's arrest, the number of arrests in the case has risen further. The local journalist community and the victim's family are now watching to see whether any new names emerge in the investigation.
