'Mastermind' behind Ukhiya forest official murder arrested in Ctg

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has arrested two more accused, including the "mastermind", in the murder case of Forest Department official Md Sajjaduzzaman.

Sajjaduzzaman, a beat officer at Dochhari Forest in the Ukhiya Range of Cox's Bazar South Forest Division, lost his life on 31 March after being crushed under a dumper truck while confronting culprits engaged in illegal hill cutting within a reserved forest area at Ukhiya.

A team of RAB-15 arrested the "mastermind" of the murder Kamal Uddin, 39, from Chattogram's Sitakunda and another accomplice Helal Uddin, 27, from Cox's Bazar's Ukhiya, said RAB-15 Commander Lt Col HM Sajjad Hossain at a press conference in Cox's Bazar today (16 April).

The arrestees were handed over to Ukhiya Police Station this afternoon, he added.

The RAB official said Kamal and Helal admitted their involvement in the murder during an interrogation after their arrest. They also admitted being involved in the hill cutting and soil smuggling syndicate, he added.

RAB and police have so far arrested four people in connection with the murder.

Earlier on 1 April, Md Shafiul Alam, Ukhiya range officer of the Department of Forest, filed a case over the incident naming 10 individuals and five unnamed others. On the same day, police arrested an accused of the case, Syed Karim, during a drive carried out in Ukhiya.

On 8 April, police arrested the prime accused in the murder, Md Bappi, the driver of the dumper truck, from Chattogram city.