Dhaka, Jan 03 (V7N) - Police have failed to arrest any suspects even two days after the brutal killing of lawyer Naim Kibria in Dhaka’s Bashundhara Residential Area. However, investigators say progress is being made through the review of CCTV footage and that efforts to bring those involved under the law are ongoing.

Officer-in-Charge of Bhatara Police Station, Imaul Haque, said police began identifying the perpetrators immediately after the incident and expressed hope that arrests would be made soon. He added that raids are already being conducted at several suspected locations.

Naim Kibria was found unconscious in the Bashundhara Residential Area late Wednesday night. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead. According to police, he was driving a private car at the time of the incident and was allegedly assaulted after his vehicle reportedly hit a motorcycle. However, the victim’s family claims the killing was premeditated and carried out by an organized mob.

The victim’s cousin, Rakibul Islam Shamim, provided details of the events leading up to the incident. He said Naim had been staying at his home in Purbachal and that on Wednesday afternoon around 3pm, they traveled together in the same car to a relative’s house in Bashundhara. Later that evening, the family went out for tea using two separate vehicles. Naim declined to join them and instead took his brother-in-law’s car for a short drive.

At around 9:45pm, Shamim said they dropped Naim off in Block L before heading toward the Bitumin Gate area. At 10:08pm, a call came from Naim’s phone number, but no one spoke from the other end. Shamim repeatedly asked where he was but received no response. Subsequent attempts to reach Naim also failed. Shortly afterward, a security guard from the Bashundhara area called to inform them that Naim was lying unconscious near Walton House on Road No. 15. They rushed to the spot, rescued him, and took him to Kurmitola General Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Family members allege that Naim had been receiving death threats prior to the incident. Rakibul Islam said that two or three days earlier, several young men arrived on motorcycles at Naim’s home in Pabna Sadar in search of him. Although no family members were present at the time, neighbors reported that the men threatened to kill Naim if they found him.

Based on these events, the family believes the killing was planned. They suspect that someone familiar with Naim may have recognized him in the Bashundhara area, where many people from Pabna reside, and then incited a mob attack. Naim had reportedly come to Dhaka to seek bail in a murder case linked to the anti-discrimination movement.

Police say the investigation is ongoing and that all aspects of the incident, including allegations of a planned killing, are being examined.

END/AJ/SMA/