A trader from Rangpur, Ashraful Haque, was allegedly murdered, dismembered and dumped in Dhaka by a close friend in a calculated plot involving his girlfriend, according to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Saturday. Extortion is cited as the primary motive, though the brutality of the crime suggests a deeper cause.
A shocking case of murder has emerged in Dhaka, where a trusted friend is accused of luring, killing, and dismembering a trader from Rangpur in a premeditated crime.
Rangpur-based trader Ashraful Haque was allegedly killed by his friend, named as Jarez, following a complex plot involving entrapment and extreme violence, the Commanding Officer of RAB-3, Lieutenant Colonel Fayezul Arefin, told a press briefing in the capital’s Karwan Bazar.
“The brutal killing was the result of a calculated plot carried out under the guise of friendship,” Lt Col Arefin stated, following the arrest and interrogation of Jarez and his girlfriend, Shamima.
Photo: Collected
Planned Entrapment and Murder
According to RAB officials, the timeline of the murder is as follows:
- Luring the Victim: Under Jarez’s instruction, Shamima allegedly began communicating with Ashraful via phone over a month ago, luring him into a “romantic trap” and persuading him to travel from Rangpur to Dhaka.
- The Attack: On November 12, the trio met at a rented flat in the Nurpur area of Shanir Akhra. Shamima mixed sleeping pills into a drink, incapacitating Ashraful.
- Extortion and Killing: Jarez then recorded intimate footage involving Shamima and the unconscious Ashraful, planning to extort 10 lakh taka from the victim. With Ashraful completely incapacitated, Jarez allegedly tied his hands, sealed his mouth with tape, and repeatedly struck him with a hammer, causing death through blows and suffocation.
Dismemberment and Disposal
RAB officials stated that the body was left in the room overnight. On the following day, Thursday, Jarez and Shamima purchased a machete and dismembered Ashraful’s body into 26 pieces, stuffing the remains into two drums.
They subsequently transported the drums via a CNG-run auto-rickshaw and abandoned them under a large tree near the High Court’s National Eidgah water pump area. Ashraful Haque’s dismembered remains were discovered at the site on Thursday.
During questioning, Shamima claimed she attempted to stop the attack but was assaulted by Jarez. She also revealed that Jarez had been preparing a passport with the intention of fleeing the country to Malaysia.
Lt Col Arefin confirmed that while the suspects cited extortion as the motive, “the level of brutality suggests there may be more behind the crime and further interrogation of Jarez would clarify the real motive.”
Based on Shamima’s information, RAB recovered bloodstained clothing, ropes, and tape used in the killing from the Shanir Akhra area.
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