Dr Nitai's 'killer' arrested

Dhaka, Sep 1 The detective police on Saturday arrested one Mintu, who they claim is the assailant who stabbed to death Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) leader Dr Narayan Chandra Datta Nitai.

Even though Nitai's family has been claiming that it was a premeditated murder over recruitment in a hospital, law enforcers have been insisting that he was stabbed when he attempted to foil a burglary attempt at his place.

Assistant Commissioner of the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Masudur Rahman told bdnews24.com that Mintu was detained from Sylhet.

When asked for further details, the police official said they would be revealing them at a press meet around noon.

Dr Nitai, an Executive Committee member of BMA, was knifed to death in the early hours of Aug 23 at his home on Mahakhali's National Institute of Disease of the Chest and Hospital (NIDCH) campus.

Two days later, police arrested four suspected robbers for alleged ties with the burglary attempt. Of them, Faisal said that one of his associates, barred during the burglary at the house, knifed the doctor.

Four of the seven robbers, including Faisal, entered the house after cutting the window grill.

"He (Nitai) was asleep when we entered [the house]. Getting awake, he scuffled with us. We wanted to tie him up but he resisted. Then Mintu knifed him and we fled after looting some things," he added.

"We heard later in the morning that the victim had died," he said. he said.

RAB arrested, who they claimed as another member of the gang, Kamal. However, the DB refused to take his custody saying that he had no ties to the murder.

Mintu was arrested after the interrogation of the four robbers - Masud alias Peda, 28, Saidul, 38, Pichchi Kamal, 35 and Faisal, 32 - in DB custody.

A case filed by the father of the deceased, Tarit Kanti Datta, over the incident with the Banani police mentioned Tk 500,000 had gone missing.

Five have been arrested till now in the case.