Representative image
Photo : BCCL
KOLKATA: The reason for Bangladesh MP Anwarul Azim Anar’s cold-blooded murder and the horrific disposal of the body to cover up the crime may have been a disagreement between him and his accomplice, Md Akhtaruzzaman alias Shaheen, over large gains from a gold smuggling scheme.
The MP for Jhenaidah-4 in the Khulna division of Bangladesh and Shaheen, the younger brother of the mayor of Kotchandpur Municipality in Jhenaidah, were partners in the trans-border racket that involved smuggling gold bars into India, according to intelligence officials in Bangladesh, as per local media reports.
However, at some point last year, Aziz’s demands for a larger share of the pie reportedly caused a split to form between the two. Shaheen turned down the proposition at the time, but when he found out later that Aziz had taken over the entire haul of smuggled goods worth an estimated Rs 80 crore, things escalated. The friendship gave way to a deep-seated hate and resentment.
Bangladeshi authorities also believe that other powerful individuals connected to the scheme might have participated in the plot to kill Azim, who had taken over the entire gold smuggling enterprise. Sources indicate that as soon as Azim was elected MP in 2014, he made a claim in the lucrative smuggled gold trade in Jhenaidah and progressively drove away two powerful businesspeople from Jhenaidah and a political figure from Jessore. Police are looking into whether they were involved in Shaheen’s plot to kill Azim as well.
Between February and April of this year, the scheme to fire Azim was developed. It is thought that Shaheen, with Shimul Bhuiyan Aman, also known as Amanullah Syed, at the head, assembled an execution squad. The others were Jihad Hawladar, a Bangladeshi butcher working illegally in Mumbai, who was brought in to dismember the body and dispose of it; Tanvir Bhuiyan, who helped smother Azim to death; and Celesty Rahman, a woman whom the police suspect of having lured Azim into visiting the New Town apartment that Shaheen had rented on April 30.
Other names that have come up during the investigation are Mostafiz, Faisal Shaji, and Siam. Their duties are still unclear. It is alleged that Shaheen paid the organization Tk 5 crore, or about Rs 4 crore, to have Azim executed and erased from existence.
According to Bangladeshi authorities, Azim’s involvement in the illicit gold trade led to his acquaintanceship and later friendship with Gopal Biswas of Kolkata. When Azim first arrived in Kolkata on May 12, he had taken up residence in Biswas’ Sinthi home. The gold merchant Biswas has refuted any involvement in unlawful gold dealings.
