The initial probe into the alleged murder of Anwarul Azim Anar has revealed that one of his close friends, a US citizen, paid around Rs 5 crore to have him killed.
The killing of Anwarul Azim Anar, who was last seen at a rented accommodation in New Town near Kolkata on Wednesday, has shocked neighbouring Bangladesh.
- CCTV Footage: West Bengal Police have recovered CCTV footage connected to an apartment near Kolkata where Anar was last seen before his alleged murder. The footage shows two men with a green trolley bag and plastic packets. It remains unclear if this footage was taken before or after the murder or if it was from inside or outside the apartment. Police sources suspect Anar’s body was dismembered and transported in bags and plastic packets.
- Honey Trap Allegations: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) suspects Anar was lured to the New Town flat by a woman and then murdered by contract killers. Reports indicate that a woman named Shilasti Rahman, close to the mastermind of the alleged killing, is under investigation and may have been detained in Dhaka.
- Arrests: West Bengal officials have arrested Jihad Hawladar, a 24-year-old Bangladeshi national, from the North 24 Parganas district. He is suspected of skinning Anar’s body and has reportedly confessed to the murder with the help of four others. Bangladeshi authorities have made three more arrests.
- Motivation: Initial findings suggest Anar’s close friend Akhtaruzzaman Shahin, a US citizen, paid around Rs 5 crore for the killing. Shilasti Rahman has been linked to Shahin.
- Suspected Hitman: Hawladar, a butcher by profession, arrived in Kolkata two months before Anar. Anar came to West Bengal on May 12 for medical treatment and initially stayed with a friend in Baranagar. He was last seen in an apartment in New Town the next day.
Sources: An official in Bangladesh stated that the investigation indicated the Bangladeshi parliamentarian fell into a honey trap laid by a woman close to the victim’s friend. It seems Azim was lured to the New Town flat by the woman and was likely murdered soon after he arrived.
