Gaibandha: Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Rangpur Range Khandaker Golam Faruk on Wednesday claimed former Jatiya Party MP Dr Abdul Kader Khan was the mastermind of the murder of Gaibandha-1 MP Manjurul Islam Liton.

“Kader Khan planned to kill Liton to become MP from Gaibandha-1 again. To implement the plan, he hired his four close aides -- Mehedi Hasan, Shahin, Hannan and Rana -- and gave them a six-month training with his own licensed pistol,” the DIG told a press conference at Gaibandha Police Super's office.     

The assassins had earlier failed to kill Liton in October last as per Kader’s plan, but finally they managed to kill him at his residence on December 31 last, he said.

Three of the four hitmen -- Mehedi, Shahin and Hannan – directly took part in the killing mission while Rana was waiting outside Liton’s house with a motorcycle, said Faruk.

The trio first entered the guestroom of the house, saying they had emergency talks with MP Liton and later Mehedi fired five bullets from a pistol on him, said the police official. 

Detectives arrested Dr Abdul Kader Khan, former Jatiya Party MP from Gaibandha-1, from his residence at Rahman Nagar Ziladarpara in Bogra district town on Tuesday.

A court here on Wednesday placed him on a 10-day remand in the murder case.

Three accused -- Mehedi, Shahin and Hannan, arrested from Bridge road area of the district town on Tuesday morning in connection with the MP Liton murder -- reportedly confessed to the killing before a court here on Tuesday.

Police also kept Rana, another suspected of the gruesome murder case, under surveillance, he said, adding that Rana would be arrested anytime soon.

Meantime, a police team, led by assistant police super of Gaibandha Rejinur Rahman, conducted a raid on Garib Shah Clinic owned by Kader early Wednesday.

During the drive from 12am to 4am, the law enforcers seized mobile phones of Kader’s wife Nasima Begum and some other clinic staff, a microbus, two laptops, and hard disk and DVR of a closed-circuit TV camera, said Mohammad Wahid Ali, in-charge of the clinic’s Operation Theatre.

Liton was shot at point blank range by miscreants at his village home at Masterpara in Bamandanga union of Sundarganj upazila on December 31.

He was admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.