Ziaur Rahman assassination: Fugitive convict Mozaffar held after 45 years on the run
Following his detention, he was handed over to the Bangladesh Army after the completion of legal formalities for further proceedings under the military justice system.
Highlights
- Retired Major Mozzaffar arrested after 45 years as fugitive convict
- He was detained by Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch
- Mozzaffar was handed over to Bangladesh Army for court martial
- He participated in Ziaur Rahman's 1981 assassination, investigators say
- He reportedly hid in India using an assumed identity
- Authorities have yet to reveal details of his arrest
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) Detective Branch (DB) has arrested retired Major Md Mozzaffar Hossain, a fugitive convict in the assassination case of former president Ziaur Rahman, after he remained on the run for 45 years.
Confirming the matter, DB Chief and DMP Additional Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam told The Business Standard that Mozzaffar was detained last night (15 July) and that further details would be disclosed later.
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Police said Mozzaffar was later handed over to the Bangladesh Army after the completion of the necessary legal formalities for court martial proceedings.
Mozzaffar had been absconding since President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated by a group of dissident army officers at the Chattogram Circuit House in May 1981.
According to investigators and case records, Major Mozzaffar Hossain and Captain Mosleh Uddin were among the military officers who directly participated in the attack.
Following the assassination, Major General Manzur and several others were arrested. Captain Mosleh Uddin was subsequently arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment, while Major Mozzaffar Hossain and Major SM Khaled managed to flee.
According to a report by Prothom Alo, Mozzaffar went into hiding immediately after the assassination. A reward was announced for information leading to his arrest. He reportedly remained in hiding in India for years and, at one stage, used an assumed identity to cross the border on multiple occasions.
Authorities have not yet disclosed further details regarding his activities while in hiding or the circumstances leading to his arrest.
