Body dismembered into 26 pieces: Plot involved romance trap, attempted extortion of Tk10 lakh, says RAB

Rangpur businessman Ashraful Haque was brutally murdered and his body hacked into 26 pieces as part of a plot involving a romantic trap and an attempt to extort Tk 10 lakh, RAB revealed this morning (15 November).

Ashraful Haque's body, dismembered into 26 pieces, was found in two drums near the National Eidgah ground on 13 November.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-3) later arrested Shamima Akhter Kohinur, 33, the alleged girlfriend of prime suspect Jarezul Islam, along with key evidence.

RAB said she was arrested yesterday at her home in Laksham upazila in Cumilla. She was allegedly involved in the planning, blackmail plot, and disposal of the body.

The details were disclosed at a press briefing this morning at the RAB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar, addressed by Lieutenant Colonel Fayezul Arefin, commanding officer of RAB-3.

According to RAB, on the night of 11 November, Ashraful left Rangpur for Dhaka with his friend Jarezul to settle a business-related payment. From the morning of 12 November, his family grew concerned as his phone remained switched off.

On 13 November, Shahbagh police recovered two blue drums containing the dismembered remains of an unidentified man near a water pump adjacent to the High Court area. Fingerprint analysis later confirmed the body was that of the missing businessman, Ashraful Haque.

Romance trap and blackmail plan

Interrogation and mobile phone analysis revealed that Shamima and Jarezul had been in a romantic relationship for over a year, RAB said.

According to RAB, Jarezul told Shamima that they could trap his friend in a romantic scheme and extort Tk 10 lakh. He would keep Tk7 lakh and she would receive Tk3 lakh.

Following the plan, Shamima contacted Ashraful a month earlier and gradually gained his trust. Their communication intensified through frequent audio and video calls.

Lt Col Fayezul Arefin added that upon Ashraful's arrival in Dhaka on 11 November, Shamima rented a flat in Noorpur, Shanir Akhra, where she met Ashraful and Jarezul. 

With the aim of blackmailing him, she allegedly mixed sleeping pills into a glass of juice. Once Ashraful became unconscious, Jarezul secretly recorded intimate videos of Shamima and the victim.

Dismembered body found near National Eidgah: 2 arrested, including prime suspect

Brutal killing

According to Shamima's confession, Ashraful remained fully unconscious by noon on 12 November, RAB said. 

Jarezul then bound his limbs with rope, taped his mouth shut, and, under the influence of yaba, beat him to death with a hammer, it added. 

The body was left in the adjacent room, where both suspects spent the night and reportedly engaged in sexual activities, RAB mentioned.

Dismemberment and disposal

Lt Col Arefin said Jarezul bought a machete and two drums the next morning. He then cut the body into 26 pieces and packed them into the drums.

At noon, they hired a CNG-run autorickshaw and transported the drums out of the flat. Midway, they switched to another autorickshaw before reaching the High Court mazar gate area. Noticing increased law enforcement presence, they abandoned the drums under a roadside tree and fled to Sayedabad by autorickshaw, he added.

From there, Jarezul instructed Shamima to return to her home in Cumilla. The pair then cut off communication.

Evidence recovered

Based on information provided by Shamima, RAB-3 recovered several items from the Noorpur flat, including Ashraful's blood-soaked panjabi and pyjama, the rope used in the murder, tape, and a T-shirt and shorts.

A case was filed yesterday by the victim's sister Anjina Begum at Shahbagh Police Station, naming Jarez Mia as the prime accused along with several unidentified associates.

RAB stated that the central motive was extortion through blackmail, adding, "Whether personal enmity was involved will be clarified after interrogating the prime accused, Jarezul."

Shamima will be turned over to Shahbagh Police Station for further legal proceedings, it added.