Three arrested
Architect Imtiaz Mohammad Bhuiyan was trapped and killed by a smartphone app-based blackmailing racket in the capital, and the body was later dumped in Munshiganj, the Detective Branch of police said on Monday.
Five people, including a transgender, were involved in the murder, and they fled to India to escape arrest after the incident.
Dhaka Metropolitan DB came up with the findings after arresting three accused in Manikganj, Sirajganj and Narayanganj.
The arrested are Millat Hossain Munna, Anwar Hossain, and Ehsan Megh, a transgender.
Arafat Foysal Ahmed Rahat and Alif are still on the run.
Imtiaz went missing on March 7 after leaving home.
His body was recovered in Munshiganj the following day and was buried as an unidentified person.
The victim’s wife, Fahmida Akhter, filed a general diary with the Kalabagan police station on March 8 in connection.
Fahmida and other relatives identified the body after it was exhumed in the presence of executive magistrate Najmus Sama and police on March 21.
Briefing the media on Monday, DB chief and additional commissioner of DMP, Harun-or-Rashid, said that architect Imtiaz was trapped, blackmailed for money by the smartphone app-based blackmailing racket.
The police officer said that the racket was connected by the homosexuality-based app named Grindr.
The racket seduces men for homosexuality and asks them for a secret meeting in an apartment, where ring members catch them in indecent situations and record them, said the police officer.
Later, they blackmail victims for money by threatening to expose them and disclose the video, said Harun.
The DB officer said that Imtiaz developed a relationship with Alif through the Grindr gay chat app.
Alif asked Imtiaz to meet him in the apartment at Kalabagan Crescent Road on March 7. The flat is owned by Arafat.
Millat, Anwar, and Arafat Ehsan caught Imtiaz in an indecent situation and recorded it.
The racket then demanded a huge amount of money from the architect. Imtiaz refused to pay any amount, and subsequently, the accused started beating him indiscriminately and killed him, said DB officer Harun.
The body was dumped at Sirajdikhan in Munshiganj by Ehsan.
The DB officer said that the accused then fled to India by Akhaura border of Brahmanbaria. Tipped-off, Bangladesh Police informed Indian police about the border crossing.
Indian police also tried to arrest them there. The accused then tried to seek shelter in the transgender community but got rejected.
The accused then returned to Bangladesh and tried to go into hideouts, but DB could arrest three of them, Harun said.
