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Rangpur trader Ashraful Haque was allegedly lured to his death by his friend Jarez, who then killed and dismembered him in a planned manner, said Lt Col Fayezul Arefin, commanding officer of RAB-3.
"The brutal killing was the result of a calculated plot carried out under the guise of friendship," he told a press briefing in the capital's Karwan Bazar after the interrogation of Jarez and his girlfriend Shamima following their arrest in connection with Ashraful's murder.
Following Jarez's instructions, Shamima lured Ashraful into a romantic trap through phone communication over a month ago and brought him from Rangpur to Dhaka, according to UNB.
The CO of Rab-3 said the trio met on November 12 at a rented house in Nurpur area of Shanir Akhra where Shamima mixed sleeping pills into a drink, leaving Ashraful unconscious.
Jarez then recorded intimate footage of Shamima and Ashraful as part of an extortion plan.
Once Ashraful was fully incapacitated, Jarez tied his hands, sealed his mouth with tape and struck him repeatedly with a hammer, killing him through the blows and suffocation, said the RAB official.
The Rab Commander said the body was left in the room overnight while Jarez and Shamima stayed there.
The following day, Thursday, they purchased a machete and dismembered Ashraful's body into 26 pieces, stuffing the remains into two drums, said the RAB official.
They later transported the drums by CNG-run auto-rickshaw and abandoned them under a large tree near the High Court's National Eidgah water pump area before fleeing.
During questioning, Shamima claimed she tried to stop the killing but she was assaulted by Jarez.
She also said Jarez had planned to flee the country to Malaysia and arrangements for a passport were underway for Jarez.
Shamima told RAB that they had planned to extort Tk 1.0 million from Ashraful using the intimate video.
Based on Shamima's information, RAB recovered bloodstained clothing, ropes, tape and other items used in the murder from the Nurpur area of Shanir Akhra.
Lt Col Arefin said, although the suspects cited extortion as the motive, "The level of brutality suggests there may be more behind the crime and further interrogation of Jarez would clarify the real motive."
Ashraful Haque's dismembered body was found stuffed into two drums and dumped beside the National Eidgah ground on Thursday.