Bangladesh: Retired Major Muzaffar Hossain, Wanted in Ex-President Rahman Murder Case, Handed Over to Army by DB

The Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has handed over retired Major Muzaffar Hossain, 77, a fugitive accused in the assassination case of former Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman, to the Bangladesh Army. According to police officials, DB personnel arrested Hossain from a residence in Banani, Dhaka, after tracking his whereabouts through intelligence inputs and technological analysis. Authorities said he had been evading arrest for decades, staying at different locations since Ziaur Rahman's assassination in 1981.

The operation was carried out by a DB team under the supervision of DMP Additional Commissioner of Police (Detective Branch) Md. Shafiqul Islam, BPM, PPM. Officials said the team conducted a raid at a house in Banani on Wednesday, July 15, at around 10:10 PM local time and detained Hossain.

Following his arrest, investigators verified his identity through questioning and informed the Armed Forces Division. After completing the required legal procedures, the retired officer was transferred to a Military Police team from Dhaka Cantonment on Thursday, July 16, at approximately 6:10 PM, according to a police statement.

Major Muzaffar Hossain was named as an accused in the murder case linked to the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman, who was killed by gunfire at the Chattogram Circuit House in May 1981. Since then, Hossain had remained on the run, prompting the government to announce a reward for information leading to his capture.

The arrest comes more than four decades after the assassination, with the Detective Branch confirming that the long-wanted accused had finally been located and taken into custody. Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), served as Bangladesh's Chief of Army Staff before becoming the country's President. He was the husband of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and the father of current BNP leader Tarique Rahman.

A decorated military officer, Ziaur Rahman played a major role in Bangladesh's political history. He introduced a multi-party democratic system and promoted the concept of Bangladeshi nationalism. He became Chief Martial Law Administrator in November 1976 after Justice Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem stepped down from the role and later assumed the presidency on April 21, 1977, following Sayem's resignation. His assassination in 1981 remains one of the most significant political events in Bangladesh's history, and the arrest of Major Muzaffar Hossain marks a major development in the long-running case.