Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-3 has arrested a fugitive serving a life sentence in a high-profile murder case in Pabna’s Bhangura Shafiqul Islam, 38, was arrested from in front of Mukt Bangla Shopping Complex in after 17 years on the run.
RAB said Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, 38, was arrested from in front of Mukt Bangla Shopping Complex in Dhaka’s Shah Ali area at around 3:10pm on September 8, 2026.
According to RAB, Shafiqul and his accomplices allegedly rented a van from a man named Faruk on the pretext of going on a trip on August 24, 2009. Faruk did not return home that night. About a week later, his body was recovered from a pond in Bhangura municipality.
Faruk’s mother subsequently filed a murder case with Bhangura Police Station against 18–20 people.
RAB said investigators found that the accused had allegedly taken Faruk away as part of a planned robbery. They reportedly assaulted him after attempting to take his money, gold chain and van, before dumping his body in a pond.
After a lengthy trial, the District and Sessions Judge’s Court in Pabna sentenced 10 accused to life imprisonment. Shafiqul had remained absconding and allegedly lived under different names and disguises in various parts of the country.
RAB-3 said it launched a shadow investigation following a request from Bhangura Police and eventually identified and arrested Shafiqul. Legal proceedings against him have been initiated, while efforts are underway to arrest the other fugitives in the case.
