Detective Branch (DB) police have detained two shooters, Rubel and Ibrahim, from the Comilla border area in connection with the daylight killing of top criminal Tarik Saif Mamun in Old Dhaka.
Both are said to be professional contract killers.
They were detained on Tuesday afternoon while reportedly attempting to flee through the border, a senior DB official confirmed to Dhaka Tribune.
“The two shooters directly took part in Mamun’s murder. They were caught while trying to escape through the Comilla border. The operation is still ongoing, and further details will be shared later,” the official said.
The murder took place around 11am on Monday in front of the Dhaka National Medical College Hospital in Sutrapur, Old Dhaka, as Mamun was returning from court.
According to eyewitnesses and CCTV footage, at 10:53am Mamun was seen running toward the hospital gate while two gunmen opened fire from behind. Both attackers fired multiple shots at close range before quickly fleeing the scene.
Mamun was first rushed to Dhaka National Medical College Hospital and later transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The inquest report found seven bullet wounds on his body.
Police said the deceased, Tarik Saif Mamun, was one of the capital’s top-listed criminals and a key leader of the “Imon-Mamun Group.” He was once an associate of gangster Sanjidul Islam Imon. A long-running feud between Imon and Mamun over criminal dominance is believed to have led to the murder.
Investigators also suspect the involvement of another gangster, Joseph, noting that Mamun was one of the main accused in the 1997 killing of Joseph’s brother, Tipu. Police believe the murder may have been an act of revenge.
DMP’s Lalbagh Division Deputy Commissioner Mallik Ahsan Sami said: “Mamun was indeed the same Mamun from the Imon-Mamun group. He was a listed top-tier criminal.”
In September 2023, Mamun had survived another assassination attempt in Tejgaon Industrial Area, where biker Bhuban Chandra Shil was killed by stray bullets.
DB officials added that Mamun’s killing was carried out by an organized group of hired shooters, and the recently detained duo is being interrogated to identify the masterminds behind the plot.
