The Special Task Force of West Bengal Police has apprehended two Bangladeshi nationals, including the main suspect in the killing of Osman Hadi, several months after they escaped across the international border following the high-profile shooting in Dhaka.
The accused have been identified as Faisal Karim Masud, also known as Rahul, and his associate Alamgir Hossain. Investigators said the duo entered India illegally after the incident and were eventually traced to North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal.
Osman Hadi was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka on December 12. He was later airlifted to Singapore for medical treatment but succumbed to his injuries six days later.
According to the STF, both suspects were arrested in the Bongaon region near the India–Bangladesh border, where they had been hiding while trying to find an opportunity to return to Bangladesh.
The STF said the arrests followed specific intelligence inputs indicating that two Bangladeshi nationals involved in serious crimes, including murder and extortion, had fled to India and were sheltering near the border.
In an official statement, the STF said credible information suggested the suspects were attempting to stay concealed in the Bongaon border belt until they could cross back into Bangladesh.
Acting on the tip-off, STF teams conducted a raid in the area during the intervening night of March 7 and March 8, intercepting and detaining both men.
Police identified Faisal Karim Masud, 37, as a resident of Patuakhali district in Bangladesh and Alamgir Hossain, 34, as a resident of Dhaka.
Preliminary interrogation indicated that the two were allegedly involved in Osman Hadi’s murder before fleeing their home country.
Investigators said the suspects initially crossed into India through the Meghalaya border and moved through multiple locations before reaching Bongaon.
A criminal case has been registered regarding their illegal entry into India and their alleged role in the murder. Both individuals were presented before a court and remanded to police custody.
Osman Hadi, convener of the political platform Inqilab Manch, was a controversial political figure in Bangladesh known for his vocal criticism of India and the Awami League.
Earlier, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner SN Nazrul Islam had stated that the suspects entered India with assistance from local contacts.
He said they crossed through the Haluaghat border, where an individual named Purti received them. A taxi driver identified as Sami later transported them to Tura city in Meghalaya.
Hadi’s death triggered widespread unrest in Bangladesh. Violent groups set fire to the offices of major newspapers and cultural organisations in Dhaka, and communal tensions escalated in several regions across the country.
