Nine unidentified suspects charged over 'top criminal' Titon murder

A murder case has been filed following the broad daylight shooting of Khandakar Naeem Ahmed Titon, a listed "criminal" in Dhaka's New Market area.

New Market Police chief Mohammad Ayub said Titon’s elder brother Khandakar Sayeed Akter Ripon filed the case on Wednesday morning, naming eight to nine unidentified suspects.

After receiving Titon’s body from the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue on Wednesday afternoon, Ripon alleged that a dispute over the Basila cattle market with another “notorious criminal” Imamul Hasan Helal, known as Picchi Helal, may have led to the killing.

“He told me he was having trouble with Picchi Helal over the Basila cattle market,” Ripon told reporters. “A little later he said, ‘no elder brother, it’s nothing serious, it will be fine, pray for me’.”

TIton was shot dead around 8pm on Tuesday.

Two masked assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on him at Bottola, outside Dhaka University’s Shahnewaz Hostel.

His name ranked second on the government's 2001 list of 23 top criminals.

Titon's brother-in-law is another listed criminal Sanzidul Islam Emon.

Both were associated with the Haris-Joseph gang based in Mohammadpur, while Titon was active in the Dhanmondi and Hazaribagh areas.

Police said Titon was released on bail following the fall of the Awami League government in August 2024 and had stopped appearing for court hearings.

Addressing rumours of a feud with his brother-in-law Emon, Ripon dismissed the claims.

“I am not aware of any dispute with Emon. There might be minor siblings' issues in a family, but I don't think it was a conflict that would lead to murder,” he said, describing Emon as a "good man" who took care of their mother.