Osman Hadi murder: Prime suspect's wife, 2 others confess in court
The proceedings concluded at around 12:30am, after which the court ordered the suspects to be jailed, and the exact details of the confessions are yet to be confirmed
The wife, brother-in-law, and a close friend of Faisal Karim Masud, the prime suspect in the assassination of Inqilab Mancha leader Sharif Osman Hadi, have delivered confessional statements before a Dhaka court.
The three accused — Faisal's wife Saheda Parveen Samia, his brother-in-law Wahid Ahmed Sipu, and his friend Maria Akter Lima — were produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court in the early hours of today (25 December) following the completion of their four-day remand.
According to court sources, the trio expressed their willingness to voluntarily confess under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Metropolitan Magistrate Kamal Uddin recorded Lima's statement, while Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid recorded the statements of Samia and Sipu.
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The proceedings concluded at around 12:30am, after which the court ordered the suspects to be jailed. However, the exact details of the confessions are yet to be confirmed.
The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), moved the court to record the confessional statements after nine days of remand in two phases.
DMP Deputy Commissioner (Prosecution) Mia Mohammad Ashish bin Hasan confirmed the development to The Business Standard, noting that the confessions are expected to provide crucial insights into the planning and execution of the broad-daylight shooting.
Police had earlier detained Samia and Sipu from Narayanganj and Maria from Dhaka on 14 December. The police believe the trio played various roles in either facilitating the attack or assisting the primary assailants during their escape.
Sharif Osman bin Hadi, a prominent figure of the July Uprising and the convener of the political-cultural platform Inqilab Mancha, was shot in the head on 12 December. The attack took place at approximately 2:20pm on Box Culvert Road in the city's Paltan area while Hadi was on an election campaign following Jummah prayers.
He was initially treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and then to Evercare Hospital before being airlifted to Singapore General Hospital on 15 December. He succumbed to his injuries on 18 December, sparking nationwide protests and a day of state mourning.
The case, originally filed as an attempted murder by Inqilab Mancha Member Secretary Abdullah Al Jaber, has since been rehabilitated into a murder case. The primary suspect, Faisal Karim Masud (alias Daud), a former leader of the now-banned Chhatra League, is alleged to have fired the fatal shot.
Faisal and several other key accomplices remain at large, with authorities suspecting some may have attempted to flee across the border.
The court has so far seen 14 individuals detained or arrested in connection with the murder. Meanwhile, the interim government has vowed a transparent investigation into the killing.
