Kolkata Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has taken over the investigation of the death of Bangladesh MP Md. Anwarul Azim Anar. Initial investigation suggests the parliamentarian from Bangladesh’s Jhenaidah-4 constituency was in Kolkata for treatment in his personal capacity.
Though the body of the deceased has not yet been recovered, the CID’s primary investigation suggests he was murdered; the same was confirmed by Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Wednesday.
Anwarul arrived in Kolkata on May 12 and stayed at his friend Gopal Biswas’s residence in the city’s Baranagar area for two days before going missing. He maintained communication with the family until May 14. On May 16, a call was made from the MP's phone to his personal assistant, Abdur Rauf.
Unfortunately, Rauf missed the call, and subsequent attempts to call back were unsuccessful as the phone was switched off by then. Since that time, the MP has remained unreachable. Biswas filed a general diary report regarding his disappearance at the Baranagar Police Station on May 18.
“An SIT was formed to investigate the matter. As the investigation was going on, we were asked by the MEA also to enquire into the matter. On May 22, we got input that he might have been murdered,” Akhilesh Chaturvedi, IG, CID, told the media. He added, “The local police traced the location where he was last seen. After this, the CID was put in charge of the investigation.”
According to the preliminary probe, Anwarul was last seen in New Town, located on the outskirts of Kolkata. Authorities have discovered blood stains inside a luxury apartment there and are currently probing whether they are linked to the Bangladesh MP.
As per local media reports, Anwarul was accompanied by two men and a woman when he came to the New Town apartment. CCTV recordings revealed an unidentified man and woman exiting the apartment multiple times between May 15 and May 17. Authorities stated that at least two out of the three individuals who initially arrived with the MP subsequently travelled back to Bangladesh.
The apartment where Anwarul is suspected to have stayed is owned by a government employee named Sandeep, who had subsequently leased the property to an individual called Akhtaruzzaman. The CID IG Chaturvedi said Akhtaruzzaman holds American citizenship.
The Bangladesh police is also actively probing the case. The neighbouring country’s Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, stated that the MP was intentionally murdered in his apartment in Kolkata. He said, collaborative efforts between law enforcement agencies in India and Bangladesh are underway to uncover the motive behind the crime and identify the perpetrators. Khan further informed that the Bangladesh police had arrested three persons who were allegedly involved in murdering Anwarul.
Meanwhile, a senior police officer told PTI that a close friend of the MP, who is a US citizen, paid Rs 5 crore to assassinate Anwarul. (The Week couldn't independently verify these claims.)
