Tuku, Palak shown arrested in rickshaw puller murder case, police to seek remand

Former deputy speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku, former state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and Dhaka University Chhatra League General Secretary Tanveer Hasan Saikat have been shown arrested over the murder case of a rickshaw puller at Dhaka’s Paltan.

They have been at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Detective Branch office on Minto Road in Dhaka since the arrests on Wednesday night. Police will produce them before the court and seek remands for each of them on Thursday.

Police arrested them from the Nikunja residential area in Dhaka's Khilkhet Thana area on Wednesday based on a tip-off, reports bdnews24.com.

"Shamsul Haque Tuku, Zunaid Ahmed Palak and Tanveer Hasan Saikat have been arrested in a case over the killing of a rickshaw puller in Paltan on Jul 19. Then they were taken to the DB office at night,” said Sentu Mia, chief of Paltan Model Police Station.

"They’ll be produced to the court and police will petition to take them into remand for interrogation. We may ask for a 10-day remand for each of them.”

The three were arrested amid the spree of naming the ministers and MPs of the fallen Awami League government in different cases.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson Additional Deputy Commissioner Md Obaidur Rahman said that these individuals were in hiding and police arrested them in relation to the case filed at Paltan Police Station.

Earlier, on Tuesday night, former law minister Anisul Huq and former prime minister's adviser on private industry and investment Salman F Rahman were detained in Sadarghat.

Following Sheikh Hasina's fall in the wake of intense student protests, numerous cases have been filed against her and other party leaders and activists for the violence and casualties associated with the movement.

Arrests are under way in these cases.

After Aug 5, as the Awami League's MPs, ministers, and officials scampered for safety, many fled the country, though most stayed back.

The army chief said on Tuesday that they are safeguarding several individuals whose lives are at risk, noting that those implicated in criminal cases will be held accountable.

On Aug 6, it was reported that Palak was detained at Shahjalal International Airport during an attempted departure. Airport officials indicated he was handed over to a security force, though the details of the agency were not disclosed.

Eight days later, on Wednesday night, police confirmed Palak's arrest in connection with a case registered at Paltan Police Station.