Mohib Ullah murder: Police arrest four more suspects in Cox’s Bazar

Police in Cox’s Bazar have arrested four more people for their suspected involvement in the killing of prominent Rohingya leader Md Mohib Ullah.

Ukhiya police OC Ahmed Sanjur Morshed identified the arrestees as Selim Prakash alias Lamba Selim, Shawkat Ullah, Ziaur Rahman and Abdus Salam.

Police produced Selim and Shawkat, who were arrested on Friday and Saturday respectively, before a Cox’s Bazar court on Saturday and sought seven days to interrogate them.

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The remand hearing will be held on Sunday, Sub-Inspector Chandan Kumar Chakraborty told Dhaka Tribune.

OC Morshed said that Shawkat was arrested on Saturday afternoon, while Armed Police Battalion (APBn) arrested Ziaur and Salam early Friday and Selim around midday on Friday. All four were held from different Rohingya camps at Kutupalong.

The latter three were later handed over to the Ukhiya police station, said SP Naimul Haque, commander of the 14th APBn.

Also Read - Why murder Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah?

Rohingya refugees offer funeral prayers for their leader Mohib Ullah at Kutupalong Refugee camp in Ukhiya on Thursday, September 30, 2021 a day after unidentified assailants gunned him down outside his office in a refugee camp | AFP

Meanwhile, the victim's family members and some of his friends are feeling insecure in the camps as an unknown group has reportedly threatened them. Mohib Ullah’s family members have sought security from the government.

“We have already deployed additional security forces following the appeal of the family members of Mohib Ullah. At the same time, overall security has been tightened in the camp,” said Md Atiqul Mamun, the in-charge of Camp 1 east.

The murder

Mohib Ullah, chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH), was shot dead at a Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar by unidentified assailants last Wednesday night.

He lived with his family in a small hut at D block of Kutupalong’s Lambashia camp 1 (East) in Ukhiya. He used a part of the house as the ARSPH office.

On Thursday night, Mohib Ullah's brother Habib Ullah filed a murder case with Ukhiya police, accusing unidentified people.

Habib said he and his brother had gone to the ARSPH office after Isha prayers on Wednesday. They were accompanied by 10-12 other people.

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Soon after they reached the office, the attackers arrived and opened fire on Mohib. He was shot thrice.

“We instantly recognized three of the attackers; they were Abdur Rohim Master, Murshid and Lalu. The rest are mostly also known faces in the camp. We can identify them if they are arrested,” Habib claimed.

He also claimed Rohim was a member of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

However, at the police station on Thursday, Habib declined to name the accused in the case he initiated as he was unsure of their identities.

Also Read - Who is behind the murder of Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah?

File photo: Mohib Ullah, a teacher turned rights activist, was one of the most high-profile advocates for the Rohingyas. He was invited to the White House and to speak to the UN Human Rights Council.
Dhaka Tribune

Fear and drives

ARSPH sources said they avoided putting the murderers’ names in the FIR as they had received threats to their lives from an unknown group before filing the case. Therefore, they avoided putting down the killers’ names, which had been mentioned earlier. 

They also sought additional security from the government through the camp-in-charge.

Police are still conducting drives to identify and arrest several other suspects.

“We are trying to arrest the perpetrators, which would unravel the reason behind the murder. Our initial belief is that the assailants killed him to achieve dominance in criminal activities at the Rohingya camp," said SP Naimul Haque.

“Mohib Ullah was a barrier to criminal activities as he worked for peace. We are also looking at external factors that may have motivated the murder,” he added.

The killers’ aim may also have been to stop Mohib Ullah’s efforts for Rohingyas’ repatriation, he added.