SI Altaf killed for protesting assault on garage owner: RAB

Sub-Inspector Altaf Hossain, 58, of the Police Special Branch (SB) was killed because he protested the beating of an elderly garage owner, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has said. The incident was not a premeditated attack targeting him as a police officer but escalated from a spontaneous altercation, RAB officials said at a press conference on Monday, September 7.

According to RAB, the attack began when a group of intoxicated individuals in a private car assaulted the garage owner over a parking dispute in capital's Amin Bazar. SI Altaf, who was nearby, intervened and tried to mediate. The assailants then turned on him and his son, eventually killing the SI after he sought refuge in a factory.

RAB said most of the accused have links to juvenile gangs and drug offences and described the murder as an isolated incident. RAB-10 and RAB-4 have arrested eight named accused in separate operations so far, and operations are ongoing to detain the others involved.

RAB-10 Commander Additional DIG Mohammad Asaduzzaman disclosed the information at a press conference at the RAB Media Centre in Karwan Bazar on Monday, September 7.

RAB said SI Altaf Hossain was killed on September 5 between approximately 8:30pm and 11pm in the Bordeshi area of Aminbazar, Savar, at the hands of a private car driver and his associates. The altercation began when SI Altaf protested against the beating of a garage owner over parking an auto-rickshaw.

According to initial investigations, when the garage owner was being assaulted, SI Altaf Hossain intervened and protested. A verbal altercation ensued between the attackers and him and his son Ariful. When the situation escalated, SI Altaf identified himself as a police officer, which further enraged the attackers.

To save his life, SI Altaf took shelter in his son's garment factory. But the attackers followed him there, called 15 to 20 more associates, broke down the factory gate and brutally beat SI Altaf and his son Ariful with local weapons and sticks. The factory machines and furniture were also vandalised.

Locals rescued the critically injured father and son and took them to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared SI Altaf Hossain dead.

The victim's wife filed a murder case with Savar Model Police Station, naming 15 individuals. Following the case, RAB began intelligence surveillance to arrest those involved.

RAB-10 said in continuation of that, on September 6 around 7:30pm, four named accused were arrested from the Launchghat area under Munshiganj Sadar Police Station. They are Alauddin, 26, Apon, 30, Jihad, 20 and Imran, 26. Among them, Apon is an accused in three drug cases at Savar Police Station.

Meanwhile, RAB-4 arrested four more named accused from the Aminbazar area of Savar based on technical intelligence and secret information. They are Noor Mohammad Rudra, 24, Md Rakib Mia, 28, Sabbir Ahmed, 24, and Md Wasim, 40.

RAB said the arrestees are being handed over to the concerned police stations, and operations are ongoing to bring others involved in the killing under the law.

RAB-10 commander said SI Altaf Hossain was not targeted for being a police officer. Most of the 15 accused in the case have links to juvenile gangs and drugs, and they were intoxicated at the time of the attack. Among the four arrested by RAB-10, Alauddin directly attacked Altaf Hossain, while Jihad stabbed him with a knife. Apon, the main leader of the local juvenile gang, has three drug cases against him and struck Altaf Hossain's head with an SS pipe. Imran was also part of the attack, with the total group numbering an estimated 25 to 30.

He said the incident does not appear to have been premeditated but started spontaneously. The attackers, who were intoxicated, first assaulted the elderly garage owner. As a humanitarian act, Altaf Hossain tried to intervene and resolve the matter, but they ignored him. After the altercation, they attacked him. Sensing the situation turning into a major terrorist act, Altaf Hossain ran to his son's small garment factory and shut the door. The five attackers then called members of the local juvenile gang, and around 25 people eventually gathered, broke down the factory door and attacked Altaf Hossain. When his son Ariful tried to intervene, he was also attacked with a hammer. Local weapons including SS pipes, knives and others were used in the assault.