Meet Faisal Karim Masud, The Man Bangladesh Police Is Hunting In Osman Hadi Murder Case? | World News

Dhaka: Bangladesh Police identified Faisal Karim Massoud as the prime accused in the murder of student leader and Inquilab Manch coordinator Sharif Osman Hadi; This murder shook the country’s fragile political tranquility.

Two men have been identified in connection with the shooting that killed the young leader, according to investigators. Police said the suspects were Faisal Karim Masud and Mohammad Alamgir Sheikh.

Reports claim that the two suspects fled to another country after the attack. Social media posts claiming that both had crossed into India went further. However, the Bangladesh Police Detective Branch did not confirm these claims.

Police officials said that 13 people have been arrested so far regarding the incident. Those detained include Massoud’s family members, as well as others accused of aiding the suspects before and after the shooting.

Despite the arrests, authorities admit they still have no confirmed information on Massoud and Sheikh’s whereabouts. Police said their passports were blocked, making it difficult for them to leave the country legally.

What Do Police Know About Massoud?

Detective Branch chief Shafiqul Islam told the BBC that investigators were aware of online allegations suggesting Massoud fled to India after the murder. He said these allegations have not been verified.

Rapid Action Battalion and Bangladesh Police have jointly arrested 13 people so far. These include Massoud’s parents, his wife, his brother-in-law and a woman whom investigators identified as his girlfriend.

According to police, Massoud was in frequent telephone contact with his wife, brother and girlfriend before the attack. Investigators say the evidence collected so far indicates Massoud fired the shot that hit Hadi.

Police confirmed that three of the arrested relatives were detained for a total of nine days in two stages for questioning. 8 more people were detained for allegedly providing logistical assistance at different stages before and after the attack.

Two members of the human trafficking network were also arrested while investigating possible escape routes used by the suspects.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police earlier said its Rapid Response Battalion arrested Abdul Hannan, who is said to be the registered owner of the motorcycle used in the attack. RAB tracked him down from the bike’s registration number and handed him over to Paltan police station.

Hannan allegedly told police he had sold the motorcycle before and later claimed he had no knowledge of how it was used. Investigators said the attackers were wearing helmets and shot at Hadi from very close range.

Simultaneously, the Bangladesh National Board of Revenue instructed commercial banks to freeze all accounts linked to Masud and his IT company, Apple Soft IT Limited.

Police also said the suspects were politically linked to the banned student organization Chhatra Union, the student wing of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. The group was outlawed in October 2024.

Beyond these details, much of what is circulating about Masoud is speculative, and researchers caution that confirmed information is still limited.

Who was Şerif Osman Hadi?

Sharif Osman Hadi came to the fore during the student protests against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year. She was one of the most visible faces of the movement and a leading force in the anti-Hasina Inquilab Manch.

Hadi was also preparing to participate in the upcoming elections. He was campaigning as an independent candidate from Dhaka-8 constituency at the time of the attack.

Inquilab Manch gained national attention during the July 2024 student movement. Critics described the group as hard-line and accused it of trying to weaken the Awami League. Despite its role in the protests, the interim government led by Mohammed Younis later dissolved the platform and banned it from participating in national elections.

Hadi was shot and seriously injured in Dhaka on December 12. He was flown to Singapore for further treatment but died on 18 December. His death triggered widespread protests that quickly turned violent.

Following the murder, large-scale unrest broke out in Dhaka. The offices of two leading newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, were vandalized and set on fire last week. Streets filled with protesters and anti-India slogans have become a recurring feature of the demonstrations.

India-Bangladesh Tension Deepens

The violence comes amid deteriorating relations between Dhaka and New Delhi. Following Hadi’s death, protests in Bangladesh increasingly took on an anti-India tone.

Earlier, National Citizen Party’s south chief organizer Hasnat Abdullah had said that Bangladesh should expel India’s high commissioner. He warned that any attempt to destabilize Bangladesh would lead to the isolation of the Seven Sisters in India’s northeast.

India responded by summoning Bangladesh’s high commissioner in New Delhi and expressed serious concerns about the security of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

Relations between the two neighbors have been tense since Hasina was ousted from power in August 2024. Hasina’s ouster has triggered intense debate in Bangladesh over India’s alleged role in the country’s politics.

Hasina currently lives in New Delhi. His son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, accused the interim government of trying to establish an Islamist system of rule.

As police continue to search for Massoud, Hadi’s murder is at the center of a political storm that has exposed deep fissures in Bangladeshi society, institutions and regional relations.