Kolkata/Dhaka: Veteran Bangladeshi MP Anwarul Azim Anar, who went missing in India on May 13, was found dead in Kolkata with Bangladesh arresting three people back home for the politician's murder, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan announced in Dhaka on Wednesday (May 23).
The body of Awami League MP, who had reached India on May 12 and went missing a day later, was recovered from a flat in Kolkata's Newtown area on Wednesday.
"So far, we have come to know that all the killers involved are Bangladeshis. It was a planned murder," the Bangladesh minister said. He added that Bangladesh Police have arrested three persons in connection with the murder of the 56-year-old lawmaker, The Daily Star reported.
"We will soon inform you about the motive," the minister said, adding that Indian police are cooperating with the case. The three-time MP and president of Kaliganj upazila unit Awami League went to India on a personal visit to receive treatment. A general diary report about his disappearance was filed at Baranagar Police Station in North Kolkata on May 18.
Azim was the lawmaker from the Jhenaidah-4 constituency. Jhenaidah is a bordering area known for its high crime rate. "According to what we currently know, he was killed there," the home minister said.
Police in Kolkata, meanwhile, have launched a joint investigation into the case. Azim's family members are also set to arrive in Kolkata for further formalities, and their visa process is underway. Meanwhile, Bangladesh's Press Minister Shaban Mahmud at the embassy in Delhi said, "India is our old and trusted friendly country, and we are expecting more details from Indian authorities."
A senior official of the intelligence department of the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate said, "We traced the MP after massive efforts. His body was recovered during a search at a residence in Newtown. Investigation is on. CCTV footage of the residence is also being scrutinised. Security guards are also being questioned."
Sources said that STF and IB detectives were also involved in the search. The car that Azim was using since his arrival in Kolkata has also been traced. According to police sources, Azim was accompanied by two other people. Initial police investigation hints that those two people might have been directly involved in the murder, and fled the country soon after the incident.
Police had launched a search operation in specific parts of Newton and Baranagar to trace Azim. An official of the consulate said that the MP had entered West Bengal through the Darshana border on May 12 and went to a friend Gopal Biswas's house in Baranagar.
"He came to Kolkata on May 12 for medical treatment and was staying at his friend's place in Baranagar in the northern fringes of the city. On May 13, he went to meet someone but didn't return. His friend later lodged a police complaint," the official said.
Azim's daughter, Mumtarin Firdous had lodged a complaint about his disappearance with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Intelligence Department on May 18. Since May 13, he had not contacted his family and since May 14, his phone was switched off.
Police Commissioner Barrackpore Alok Rajoria had earlier told ETV Bharat that Bengal police had sought assistance from Bihar and Chhattisgarh police as well since the MP's phone's last location was found to be in Bihar.
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