Key accused in case over gun attack on River Police personnel arrested in Dhaka

The Rapid Action Battalion has arrested the key accused in a case filed over shots fired at River Police personnel last month. 

RAB arrested Abdul Alim, alias Chikon Alim, in Dhaka last night for allegedly firing at River Police personnel in the Padma River in Kushtia on 22 April, Md Mehedi Imran Siddiqui, RAB's intelligence and media officer, confirmed today (3 May).

A joint team of RAB-3 and RAB-12 arrested him under a foot overbridge near the police quarters in Mirpur-14.

Mehedi said Abdul Alim is the main accused identified in the investigation into the firing on police officials in Kushtia. 

After the incident, he had been changing locations repeatedly to evade arrest, he added.

The RAB officer said Alim had been carrying out radical activities to expand the influence of fugitive "extremist leader" Kalu in Kumarkhali, Khoksa and the Padma river areas.

According to him, Kalu was the military chief of the Jasad Gonobahini in the south-western region during the 1990s.

According to the case statement, on the night of 22 April, a team from the Lakshmikunda River Police went to stop illegal sand extraction in the Padma near Haripur ghat in Kushtia.

At that time, eight to nine criminals arrived on a speedboat and opened fire on the patrol team using shotguns.

Four police personnel, including the in-charge, and the boat driver were injured in the attack.

Following the incident, Lakshmikunda river police outpost in-charge Inspector Khandaker Shafiqul Islam filed a case at Kushtia Sadar Police Station.