Bangladesh's High Court today ordered the arrest of three military officers, days after they were withdrawn from the elite anti-crime force and sent on forced retirement for their alleged role in the abduction and murder of seven people.
"The court asked the home secretary to comply with the order immediately," additional Attorney General MK Rahman told reporters.
The ruling came on a writ seeking High Court directives for fairness of the investigations into the mysterious murders at the suburban river port town of Narayanganj late last month that outraged the country.
The three officers, two from army and one from navy, who are under army surveillance at their cantonment residences, were asked to be handed over to police's Detective Branch which is currently investigating the incident.
The three officer were on deputation in the Rapid Action Battalion, which draws personnel from three armed forces and police.
The two-member bench said even if no specific charge could be brought immediately against the trio, they should be arrested under Section 54 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which allows police to detain one only on the basis of suspicion.
The move came after a businessman in the industrial city of Narayanganj accused the three of abducting his son in-law, a city councillor, and six of his associates.
Their nearly decomposed bodies were found days after their disappearance floating in a nearby river on May 1. Post-mortem examinations showed they had been knocked unconscious with blows to the head and strangled with ropes.
Authorities on May 9 ordered transfer of all 85 police official of Narayanganj as a high-level investigation was launched into the case.
The high court earlier this week asked the RAB to carry out an internal investigation to check the validity of the allegation against its own men.
The RAB officials said they already formed a four-member committee headed by its additional director general over the allegation.
Police so far have arrested 15 suspects for the murders but the key accused, was still on the run.
