C T Online Desk: Indian authorities have apprehended the prime suspect and his associate in the high-profile murder of Inqilab Moncho co-founder and July revolutionary Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, following a coordinated intelligence operation between Bangladesh and India.
The suspects – Rahul alias Faisal Karim Masud, 37, of Patuakhali, and Alamgir Hossain, 34, of Dhaka – were detained in the Bongaon area of West Bengal during the early hours of Sunday.
According to defence intellegence sources, the arrests were made based on “strategic intelligence” provided by Bangladeshi agencies. The duo reportedly fled to India via the Meghalaya border after the killing of political activist Osman Hadi. Sources suggest the crackdown follows a recent high-level visit by a senior Bangladesh defence intelligence official to India, signaling a toughening stance by Indian authorities against fugitives crossing the border to evade justice.
The West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) registered a case (No. 09/2026) regarding the matter. Investigations reveal that the suspects had been moving between various locations in India before arriving in Bongaon, where they reportedly intended to cross back into Bangladesh.
The detainees were produced before a local court on Sunday and have been remanded to police custody.
Further investigations are currently underway to uncover the full extent of their network, added the sources.
Hadi, who was aspirant independent candidate in the Dhaka-8 constituency in the 13th parliamentary election, was shot on 12 December 2025. Shortly after Friday prayers, he was travelling by rickshaw along Calvert Road in Purana Paltan when two assailants on a motorcycle opened fire, shooting him in the head.
The attackers reportedly fled towards India after the shooting.
Hadi was flown to Singapore for advanced treatment but died of his injuries on 18 December.
