Ziaur Rahman murder case: Retd major Mozzaffar handed over to cantonment

The Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested retired Major Mozzaffar Hossain, 77, a long-time fugitive accused in the assassination case of former President Ziaur Rahman, and handed him over to the Military Police of Dhaka Cantonment.

The handover was confirmed in a DMP press release issued on Thursday evening (July 16). The press release noted that Major (Retd) Mozaffar Hossain had been hiding in various locations ever since the murder case of Ziaur Rahman was initiated.

According to DB, his location was traced using reliable intelligence and information technology. Under the overall supervision of DB's Additional Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) Md. Shofiqul Islam, an operational team conducted a raid at a residence in Banani on Wednesday night at 10:10pm and apprehended him.

Following the arrest, Mozaffar’s identity was verified during interrogation, and the Armed Forces Division was immediately informed. He was subsequently handed over to a Military Police team from Dhaka Cantonment at 6:10pm on Thursday after the completion of necessary legal procedures, the DMP release stated.

On May 30, 1981, the then-President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in an attack by a group of mutinous army officers at the Chattogram Circuit House. Following a lengthy judicial process, 13 army officers were sentenced to death, a verdict that was later upheld by the higher court. While several of the convicts have since been executed, Major Mozzaffar had remained a fugitive for a long period.

According to investigation sources, Mozzaffar Hossain had been in hiding for a long time. Despite previous attempts to locate him, he had repeatedly managed to evade arrest. Law enforcement finally succeeded in apprehending him after securing his precise location through recent intelligence.