'I'm in Dubai,' says Hadi killing suspect Dhaka accused India of sheltering

DHAKA: In a twist to the intriguing murder of Bangladeshi Islamist radical Sharif Osman Hadi, one of the alleged killers, Faisal Karim Masud alias Daud (37), has denied the charge pinned on him by the interim govt while also refuting its assertion that he slipped into India after committing the alleged crime and is holed up there.Masud, a key suspect in the Hadi murder case and who Bangladesh claimed had escaped to India, in a video message said he was in Dubai and denied his role in the killing of Hadi, who died on Dec 18, six days after being shot in the head.

On Dec 28, Dhaka claimed two primary suspects - Masud and Alamgir Sheikh - of the Hadi case have "fled Bangladesh and crossed into the Indian state of Meghalaya with the help of local associates", inviting a rebuttal from Indian agencies, which termed the statement "fabricated and malicious".

In the message, Masud said, "I, Faisal Karim Masud, want to state clearly that I am not involved in Hadi's murder in any way. This case is completely false and based on a fabricated conspiracy.

" "Because of this false implication, I was forced to leave the country (Bangladesh) and come to Dubai. I came here with great difficulty, even though I held a valid five-year multiple-entry Dubai visa," he said.Blames 'Jamaat elements', alleges torture on his familyMasud acknowledged that he went to Hadi's office before the shooting but insisted his relationship with the Inqilab Moncho spokesperson was strictly business related.

"My family is being falsely implicated in the case and is being severely harassed and tortured, despite being completely innocent," said Masud, who accused "Jamaati elements" of killing Hadi. "He too was a product of the Jamaat," Masud said. "I did go to Hadi's office.

I am a businessman; I own an IT firm, and I was previously employed at the ministry of finance. I went to meet Hadi regarding a job opportunity. He promised to arrange the job and asked for an advance payment." "I gave him 5,00,000 taka. He also asked me to donate to his various programmes, and I provided funds whenever he requested," he added.The video message comes as the Yunus-led govt faces Inqilab Moncho's 30-day ultimatum - which began a day after Hadi's death - to try his killers and amid accusations from various quarters that Hadi's murder was orchestrated by a section within the govt to derail the Feb national election and so was the violence after his death.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional police commissioner (crime and operations) SN Md Nazrul Islam, who claimed Masud had escaped to India, said police are yet to submit a chargesheet.

Nazrul's statement was dismissed as "unfounded" by Meghalaya DGP Idashisha Nongrang, while India's border guarding force BSF said it has neither detected nor received any report of such an incident. Hadi, a key figure of the 2024 July Uprising, was shot in the head on Dec 12 in Dhaka. His death sparked violence in Bangladesh, including multiple attacks on Hindus.