Ramna carnage: Death row convict worked as Imam for 14 years changing name

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has claimed to have arrested a fugitive death row convict in the 2001 Ramna Batamul carnage case, who changed his name and has been living as Imam in Narsingdi since 2008.

The arrestee has been identified as Mufti Shafiqur Rahman alias Abdul Karim alias Shafiqul Islam, 61.

He was arrested during a drive conducted by RAB-2 members in Bhairab upazila of Kishoreganj on Thursday, said Imran Khan ASP (media) at RAB headquarters.

"During primary interrogation, the arrestee has admitted to his involvement in the attack," he said.

Mufti Shafiqur told interrogators that he came in contact with Mufti Hannan, then head of banned Islamist organisation Harkat-ul-Jihad, when he went to study at Yusuf Bin Nuri Madrasah in Karachi in 1987.

While on a subsequent trip to Afghanistan from Pakistan, he became involved with the militant group. Returning to Bangladesh from Afghanistan, he formed the militant organisation, 'Harkat-ul-Jihad (B)'.

From 1990 to 1993, he served as the publicity secretary of the militant group. From 1993 to 1996, he was the Amir of the group. From 1997 to 2003, he was a member of Harkat-ul-Jihad's Sura.

He was involved in 2001 Ramna Batamul bombing on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh, the 21 August granade attack in 2004, and killing of five people, including former Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria, in Habiganj on 27 January 2005.

From 2001 to 2008, after the attack on Ramna Batamul, he remained secretly associated with the organisation. After that, he stayed at a madrasa in Narsingdi from 2008 and then went into hiding.

While in Narsingdi he was using the pseudonym Abdul Karim and used to work as an Imam at a local mosque for a salary of Tk5,000.

He used to meet his family members at different places. "Legal action against the arrestee is underway," said the RAB ASP.