Anwarul Azim Anar Police believe the murder of Jhenidah MP Anwarul Azim Anar was planned two to three months ago. According to them, the crime was plotted during several meetings held at two residences in Dhaka's Gulshan and Bashundhara areas.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch (DB) Chief Harun-or-Rashid said choosing India as the location was intended for evading identification and arrest.
During a press briefing on Thursday afternoon, Mr Rashid provided details on the who, what, when and where of the murder plan.
He said the mastermind was Aktaruzzaman, also known as Shaheen -- a childhood friend of MP Anar.
Aktaruzzaman hired killers for Tk 50 million in connection with a business dispute between the two friends, suggest Indian media reports.
"The nature of the dispute is still under investigation," said Harun-or-Rashid at the briefing.
While Bangladeshi authorities discussed progress in their investigation and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan mentioned "identifying the killers", MP Anar's body remained unrecovered as of Thursday.
"Almost all aspects of the case have been identified," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said at the Secretariat on Thursday. "We have identified those involved in the killing and are close to making an announcement."
The announcement, he said, awaits agreement from intelligence agencies of both countries.
A team of three detectives from India arrived in Dhaka on Thursday to assist in the investigation.
Anar, the three-time MP for Jhenaidah-4 and president of the Kaliganj Upazila Awami League unit, travelled to India for medical treatment on May 11.
He stayed with his friend Gopal Biswas, a gold trader residing in Baranagar, Kolkata. After leaving Biswas's house, he went missing. Biswas lodged a general diary at the police station concerning his disappearance on May 18.
According to the police report, the lawmaker departed from Mr Biswas's residence on May 13 afternoon and had not returned. Subsequent investigations began in both Bangladesh and India.
On Wednesday morning, local Indian news outlets reported that MP Anar had been slain in an apartment in New Town.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan subsequently announced that Anar had been the victim of a "premeditated murder" at the Kolkata apartment, though the body had not yet been located.
Following the information provided by Indian authorities, Bangladeshi police detained three individuals.
West Bengal CID IG Akhilesh Chaturvedi addressed the media after inspecting the apartment in the Sanjeeva Gardens building in New Town on Tuesday.
He said, "The information available suggests that MP Anwarul was last seen entering this location. We are yet to ascertain whether he had visited previously. Nonetheless, his body has not been recovered."
When queried about the confirmation of the killing in the absence of a body, Chaturvedi mentioned that law enforcement agencies possessed certain information on the matter.
He identified Sandeep Ray, a government employee, as the owner of the flat where Anar was murdered, and said that the apartment had been rented by an individual named Akhtaruzzaman, a US citizen.
According to the DMP Detective Branch, this Akhtaruzzaman is purportedly the MP's childhood friend who orchestrated the murder.
Several Indian media outlets reported that Akhtaruzzaman had allegedly paid around Tk 5 crore to have the lawmaker killed over a business dispute.
However, Akhtaruzzaman remains at large. Dhaka police have received reports indicating that he has departed to the US from India via Nepal.
A Bangladeshi police official involved in the investigation said that Akhtaruzzaman, known locally as Shaheen Mia, had a residence in Jhenidah's Kotchandpur. His brother is Kotchandpur Municipal Mayor Shahiduzzaman.
West Bengal media, citing police sources, reported that Anar was strangled to death in the New Town apartment on May 13. They further claimed that his body was dismembered and removed over a span of three days from May 16 to 18. The whereabouts of the body remain unknown.
On Tuesday, Home Minister Khan said that the ministry had also received similar information.
Anandabazar, a Bengali-language Indian newspaper, reported that CCTV footage from Sanjeeva Gardens shows the MP arriving from Baranagar in a vehicle. The West Bengal CID is currently questioning the driver of the vehicle.
Besides, CCTV footage captured a ride-sharing vehicle departing with several suspicious individuals on board. Anandabazar asserts that the driver of this vehicle is also under investigation.
In a series of developments, Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Thursday that investigations will ascertain whether MP Anar was involved in any illicit activities in India.
"I cannot comment until the investigation is concluded. Criminals have no place in the Awami League," Quader said during an introductory meeting with the newly formed Youth and Sports Sub-committee members at the Dhaka district Awami League office.
Questioning the timing and scope of the allegations, he added, "Why did this issue not surface in any investigative report by journalists in our country before his demise?"
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