Philip Sangma arrested for aiding Hadi murder suspects escape

Philip Sangma, who helped the main accused in the Shaheed Osman Hadi murder case flee Bangladesh, has been arrested by India’s West Bengal Police Special Task Force (STF).

He was taken into custody on Saturday near the Shantipur bypass in Nadia district, West Bengal. Investigators said Philip, a resident of Haluaghat near the Bangladesh-India border in Mymensingh, facilitated illegal border crossings between Haluaghat and Dalupara in Meghalaya in exchange for money.

After Hadi was shot, suspects Faisal Masud Karim and Alamgir Sheikh crossed into India with Philip’s assistance. The STF had earlier arrested Faisal and Alamgir near Bongaon, West Bengal, and during interrogation, Philip’s role in their escape emerged.

The accused reportedly planned to return to Bangladesh but was caught before doing so. He was produced before the court on Saturday, which ordered him to remain in police custody.

Sharif Osman Hadi, convener of Inqilab Moncho, had announced his independent candidacy for Dhaka-8 in the 13th parliamentary election. On 12 December last year, shortly after Friday prayers, he was shot while riding a motorcycle on Calvert Road in Puranapaltan, Dhaka. He was flown to Singapore for treatment but died on 18 December.

An attempted murder case was filed on 14 December by Abdullah Al Jaber, member secretary of Inqilab Moncho. The case was later upgraded under Section 302 of the Penal Code and transferred to DB Police. A charge sheet submitted on 6 January named 17 people, including former ward councillor Taizul Islam Chowdhury Bappy and Faisal Masud Karim.

Following dissatisfaction with the charge sheet, the complainant petitioned for further investigation, and the case was handed over to the CID. Another suspect, Md Rubel, was subsequently arrested, confessed in court, and is now in jail.

So far, 12 of the 17 accused have been imprisoned, with Faisal Karim Masud as the main accused and Alamgir Sheikh as the second.