Bangladesh Police Admit No Leads on Sharif Osman Hadi’s Assassin Faisal Masud

Bangladesh police authorities have openly admitted to possessing no precise or specific intelligence regarding the current location of Faisal Karim Masud, the individual identified as the primary suspect and direct gunman in the fatal shooting of prominent youth leader and political activist Sharif Osman Hadi in central Dhaka earlier this month.

This disclosure emerged during an emergency press conference at the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday, just one day after Hadi's affiliated Inqilab Mancha party issued a stern 24-hour ultimatum to the interim government, insisting on demonstrable and visible advancements in the apprehension of all perpetrators involved in the high-profile assassination.

Additional Inspector General of Police Khandaker Rafiqul Islam briefed reporters that multiple law enforcement units and intelligence agencies are exerting concerted efforts to pinpoint Masud's movements, while stressing the complete absence of any verified reports indicating that the suspect has successfully exited the country, and cautioning the public against potentially misleading rumors frequently disseminated by fugitives to obscure their trails.

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Detective Branch chief Shafiqul Islam elaborated on the investigative direction, noting that initial findings point toward a predominantly political motivation for the crime due to the apparent lack of any discernible personal vendetta or enmity, although authorities remain committed to a comprehensive examination of every conceivable angle to ensure no leads are overlooked.

The 32-year-old Hadi, a pivotal organizer in the student-led demonstrations that culminated in the overthrow of the Awami League government under Sheikh Hasina last year and a declared candidate for the forthcoming February 12 general elections, was targeted by masked assailants on December 12 during a campaign event in Bijoynagar, succumbing to critical head injuries while receiving advanced medical treatment in Singapore on Thursday, an event that subsequently sparked widespread protests, violence, and targeted vandalism including attacks on Indian diplomatic representations in Chattogram.

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