Hadi murder: Indian court allows NIA to quiz prime suspects Faisal, Alamgir
During a hearing on 24 March, Special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi sought NIA custody of the accused, saying a detailed interrogation was necessary to uncover the full conspiracy behind the killing.
A Delhi court has allowed India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) to interrogate in its custody for 11 days two Bangladeshi nationals accused of killing Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi.
The two prime suspects – Faisal Karim Masud, 37, from Patuakhali, and Alamgir Hossain, 34, from Dhaka – were arrested by the West Bengal Special Task Force on the night of 7–8 March after being apprehended in Bongaon in North 24 Parganas district near the Bangladesh border.
They were taken to Delhi on transit remand on 23 March and produced before a court the following day.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
During a hearing on 24 March, Special Public Prosecutor Rahul Tyagi sought NIA custody of the accused, saying a detailed interrogation was necessary to uncover the full conspiracy behind the killing.
Allowing the plea, Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma granted the agency 11 days' custody of the two suspects.
Earlier, the STF had issued a statement saying there was credible information that two Bangladeshi nationals, after committing serious crimes, including extortion and murder in Bangladesh, fled and illegally entered India.
It said the two prime suspects entered Indian territory through the Meghalaya border and moved through different places in India before reaching Bongaon with the intention of crossing back into Bangladesh.
"They were trying to take shelter in the border area of Bongaon with the intention of crossing back into Bangladesh when the opportunity arises," the STF statement said.
On 12 December at around 2:20pm, assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on Hadi, leaving him critically injured with gunshot wounds to the head and below the right ear.
He was initially taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later shifted to Evercare Hospital, Dhaka. As his condition worsened, he was flown to Singapore by air ambulance on 15 December for advanced treatment. He died there on 18 December, about a week later, while undergoing treatment.
Following the shooting, a case was filed with the Paltan Police Station on 14 December on charges of attempted murder, which was later converted into a murder case after Hadi's death.
Law enforcement agencies have identified Faisal as the shooter in the attack on Hadi. Police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said Faisal's associate, Alamgir Hossain, was riding the motorcycle used in the attack.
On 6 January, police submitted a charge sheet against 17 accused.
