Husband sent hired guns to kill content creator Rakib suspecting affair with wife: Police

Police said the murder of content creator Rakibul Hasan Rakib was carried out on the orders of a drug trader in Khulna over suspicions of a relationship with his wife.

The details were disclosed at a press briefing today (19 March) by Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam at the DMP Media Centre in Dhaka.

According to police, the alleged mastermind, identified as Sajid, a suspected drug trader from Khulna, had maintained good relations with Rakib. However, he later became suspicious of Rakib’s acquaintance with his wife, Jannat Mun, who also knew the victim through social media and TikTok content.

Sajid viewed the relationship with suspicion and arranged the killing by hiring contract killers.

The attack took place around 8:30pm on Sunday (15 March) near the western side of the Central Shaheed Minar under Shahbagh Police Station. As Rakib parked his motorcycle, a group of five to six assailants attacked him from behind and opened fire.

After he fell, they stabbed him repeatedly him with sharp weapons before fleeing.

Bystanders later took the Rakib to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Rakib was a second-year undergraduate student of Sheikh Borhanuddin College.

Later, His father, an employee of University of Dhaka, filed a murder case with Shahbagh Police Station.

Police have so far arrested five people in connection with the incident.

Of them, Golam Rasul Shihab, 21, was detained at the scene on the night of the murder with help from locals. Based on his information, Rafin Sheikh, 20, and Shahariar Nazim Joy, 20, were arrested in Khulna on Monday, while Sagar Fakir was detained in Patuakhali on Tuesday.

Later, a team from the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit arrested another accused Salahuddin Sagar alias Saka, 38, from Kashiani in Gopalganj early yesterday. A pistol and ammunition were recovered from his possession.

Police described him as a key coordinator of the contract killing.

Meanwhile, yesterday, two of the accused – Golam Rasul Shihab and Sagar Kabir – gave confessional statements in court admitting their involvement in the killing. Two more accused, Rafin Sheikh and Shahriar Nazim Joy, were placed on a five-day remand.

Speaking at the briefing, DC Masud Alam said Rakib used to create video content for TikTok and other social media platforms, through which he became acquainted with Jannat Mun. “The murder was carried out under Sajid’s plan due to his suspicions,” he said, adding that all those involved were hired killers.

He also noted that the exact nature of Rakib’s relationship with Mun is yet to be determined and would be clarified after questioning her. According to police, Sajid had been threatening Rakib for some time.

According to him, of the five arrested, four were directly involved in the killing.

The shooter, identified as Alamin, remains at large. Shihab, Joy, and Rafin allegedly attacked Rakib with machetes and knives, while Sagar was present at the scene. Salauddin coordinated logistics, including weapons supply and positioning.

Police said they have identified several more individuals involved in the incident and are continuing efforts to arrest them.

Salahuddin placed on four-day remand

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court today placed Salahuddin Sagar on a four-day remand in the murder case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Nazmin Akter issued the order after police sought remand for accused Salahuddin Sagar, who was arrested around 3:30am yesterday from a rented house in the Southpara area of Kashiani in Gopalganj along with a pistol and bullets.

Sub-Inspector Jinnat Ali of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police prosecution division confirmed the matter.

Earlier in the day, police produced the accused before the court and sought a seven-day remand, but the court granted a four-day remand.

According to the remand petition, during initial interrogation Sagar admitted that the killing was carried out with the help of several accomplices, including the other accused Sagar. However, he did not disclose the motive behind the murder or whether anyone had ordered the attack.