Two more suspects arrested

Police in Cox’s Bazar have arrested two more people over the killing of prominent Rohingya leader Md Mohib Ullah. The arrests were made after Friday midnight in a raid to Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya, said the Armed Police Battalion (APBn), which is in charge of maintaining security at the camp.

Suspects Ziaur Rahman and Abdus Salam have been handed over to the Ukhiya police station, APBn Superintendent Naimul Haque said on Saturday.

Law enforcers have, so far, made three arrests over the killing on Wednesday night.

Earlier on Friday morning, the APBn arrested Mohammad Selim alias Lomba Selim and handed him over to the police.

Drives are underway to identify and arrest more suspects, on the basis of leads from several witnesses, police sources said.

Mohib Ullah, chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH), was shot dead at a Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar by unidentified assailants at around 8pm on Wednesday.

On Thursday night, Mohib Ullah's brother Habib Ullah filed a case with Ukhiya police station accusing unidentified people of the killing.

“We are trying to arrest the perpetrators, which would make clear the reason behind the murder. Our initial belief is that the assailants killed him to dominate criminal activities at the Rohingya camp," said Naimul Haque.

“Mohib Ullah was a barrier to criminal activities as he worked for peace. We are also looking at external factors that may have motivated the murder,” he added.

The murder may also have been committed to stop Mohib Ullah’s efforts for Rohingyas’ repatriation, he explained.

Earlier on Friday morning, the APBn arrested Mohammad Selim alias Lomba Selim and handed him over to the police.

Drives are underway to identify and arrest more suspects, on the basis of leads from several witnesses, police sources said.

Muhib Ullah lived with his family in a small hut at D block of Kutupalong 1 (East) camp in Ukhiya. He used a part of the house as the ARSPH office.

His younger brother Md Habib Ullah said they had gone to the ARSPH office in Kutupalong’s Lambashia camp after Isha prayers on Wednesday. The two of them were with 10-12 other people.

Soon after they reached the office, the attackers arrived and opened fire on Mohib. He was shot thrice.

“We instantly recognized three of the attackers, they were Abdur Rokim, Murshid and Lalu. The rest are also known faces in the camp. We can identify them if they are arrested,” Habib Ullah added.

He also claimed Abdur Rokim was a member of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

However, at the police station on Thursday, Habib Ullah declined to name the accused in the case he started as he was unsure of their identities.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Saturday vowed to bring the killers of Mohib Ullah to justice soon, in his first remarks since the Rohingya leader's murder sparked global condemnation.

Dr Momen said that a vested quarter killed  Mohib as he wanted to return to Myanmar, his home country. "The government will take stern action against those who were involved in the killing. Nobody will be spared," he said.

On Thursday night, police registered a murder case in connection with the killing of Mohib Ullah at Ukhiya camp in Cox's Bazar on Wednesday night. 

The FIR for murder was filed against unknown persons at the Ukhiya police station on a complaint from Mohib Ullah’s brother Habib Ullah, Officer-in-Charge Sanjur Morshed had said.

Unknown assailants gunned down the 44-year-old on Wednesday night. He was first rushed to a local medical facility and later shifted to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival 

He was buried in Lambashia camp-1 in Ukhiya upazila on Thursday afternoon after his namaz-e-janaza, which was attended by a large number of Rohingya refugees from camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas. 

Formerly a teacher in Myanmar, the slain human rights activist was popularly known as Master Mohib Ullah among the Rohingya refugees. He was the head of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH) at Kutupalong camp.