Jamalpur's Bakshiganj upazila's Sadhurpara union parishad chairman Mahmudul Alam Babu, 50 (third from left), along with his two associates -- Rezaul and Monir -- were brought at the RAB Media Centre at Kawran Bazar in Dhaka on Saturday (June 17, 2023) evening in connection with the murder of Banglanews journalist Nadim.

Jamalpur's Bakshiganj upazila's Sadhurpara union parishad chairman Mahmudul Alam Babu, 50 (third from left), along with his two associates -- Rezaul and Monir -- were brought at the RAB Media Centre at Kawran Bazar in Dhaka on Saturday (June 17, 2023) evening in connection with the murder of Banglanews journalist Nadim.

Journalist Nadim was killed as per Chairman Babu's plan as he wanted to give him 'a proper lesson out of personal vengeance and resentment' due to writing news reports on his misdeeds.

According to Babu's plan, killers led by him took position at different places on his way home. Babu himself ordered killing of Nadim staying near the place of occurence.

RAB's Legal and Media Wing's director Commander Khondker Al Moin disclosed it at a press conference at RAB Media Centre at Kawran Bazar in the capital on Saturday evening.

He said Sadhurpara union parishad chairman Mahmudul Alam Babu, 50, is the mastermind of the plan to kill journalist Golam Rabbani Nadim. Arrested Rezaul, Monir and Zakir are the accomplices of Babu's terrorist group who also took part in the killing of Nadim.

Quoting the questioning of four arrested accused, Commander Moin said UP Chairman Babu confessed his involvement in the murder. "Journalist Nadim was killed as per Chairman Babu's plan out of personal vengeance and resentment.'

The RAB said with the help of local RAB, a joint team from the intelligence wing of RAB Headquarters and RAB-14, arrested journalist Nadim's killing mastermind Sadhurpara UP chairman Mahmudul Alam Babu and his accomplices Moniruzzaman Monir alias Monirul, 35, Zakirul Islam, 31, and Rezaul Karim, 26 conducted raids at Debiganj in Panchagarh and Dupchancia in Bogura.

From primary interrogation, it was known that the murder was committed as per the plan hatched by Chairman Babu. Journalist Nadim made several news reports on the misdeeds of Babu for the online news portal Banglanews.com. Witnessing the news reports, Babu became furious against Nadim and threatened him in various ways including filing the Digital Security Act (DSA). Later, a cyber tribunal of Mymensing rejected the case. As Nadim posted a status on his Facebook stating that the DSA case against him was rejected by the tribunal, Babu became more furious and decided to give him a 'befitting lesson.'

As per the plan, at about 10:00pm on June 14, the killers waylaid Nadim at Pathati area near Bakshiganj Bazar when he was returning home. When the victim Nadim along with his associate on board his motorcycle reached the spot, the terrorists pushed them out of their running motorcycle in the darkness. Then several accomplices of Babu approached toward Nadim. They started beating Nadim mercilessly at the directive of Babu. At one stage, they dragged Nadim toward a dark alley and started hitting him indiscriminately. The prime accused Babu supervised the entire incidence of killing standing near the place. When the victim Nadim's associate approached to save his life, he was also beaten by attackers. Hearing the shouts of Nadim, locals approached toward him. Meantime, the killers left the spot hurriedly. Later, critically injured Nadim died at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital while underwent treatment there.

Later, Nadim's wife Monira Begum filed a case with Bakshiganj Police Station accusing 22 people including Sadhurpara UP chairman Mahmudul Alam Babu as the prime accused and his son Fahim Faisal Rifat as the accused No. 2.

Earlier Babu was detained from Char Tistapara in Chilahati union of frontier Debiganj upazila in Panchagarh district.