[🇧🇩] Murderer of Ziaur Rahman

[Saif]

Date of Event: Jul 17, 2026

Source: https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/crime-and-law/ka0dfw7ctq

Ziaur Rahman murder case: Former army officer arrested after 45 years

Special Correspondent
Published: 16 Jul 2026, 16: 40

Major (retd) Md Mozaffar Hossain Collected

The Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested Major (retd) Md Mozaffar Hossain in connection with the assassination of former president Ziaur Rahman.

Mozzafar was arrested from the DOHS area in Dhaka around midnight on Wednesday, according to the DMP's DB.

DMP Additional Commissioner (DB) Md Shafiqul Islam told Prothom Alo that Mozzafar had been on the run for 45 years before his arrest.

According to DMP sources, after the completion of legal formalities, Mozzafar was handed over to the Bangladesh Army for court-martial proceedings.

Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the BNP, was assassinated in the early hours of 30 May 1981 at the Chattogram Circuit House by a group of rogue army officers. He had travelled to Chattogram the previous day to help resolve internal disputes within the party.​

 

[Saif]

https://www.newagebd.net/post/country/306357/zia-assassination-fugitive-mozzafar-arrested-after-45yrs

ZIA ASSASSINATION: Fugitive Mozzafar arrested after 45yrs
Staff Correspondent 16 July, 2026, 15:51

Mozzafar Hossain | BSS photo

The Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Wednesday arrested retired Major Mozzafar Hossain, 77, who police said had been a fugitive in the assassination case of former president and Bangladesh Nationalist Party founder Ziaur Rahman.

Mozzafar was arrested from a house in Banani at around 10:10pm, according to a statement issued by the DMP on Thursday night.

Detectives said that he was arrested from his in-law’s house.

Signed by additional deputy commissioner (Media) of DMP Niaz Mehedi, the statement said that Mozzafar had been in hiding at various locations since the assassination of Ziaur Rahman, the father of prime minister Tarique Rahman.

Acting on intelligence gathered from reliable sources and information technology-based analysis, the DB identified his whereabouts at a house in Banani, the statement said.

After locating him, a DB operational team, under the supervision of DMP additional commissioner (Detective) Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, conducted a raid, leading to his arrest.

The matter was immediately reported to the Armed Forces Division, the DMP press release said.

Later, at around 6:10pm on Thursday, Mozzafar was handed over to a team of the Military Police at Dhaka Cantonment, it added.

The assassination of Ziaur Rahman took place in the early hours of May 30, 1981, according to a book penned by Ziauddin M Chowdhury, who was the deputy commissioner of Chattogram at the time of the assassination.

He was assassinated at the Chattogram Circuit House during a failed military coup, according to the book, titled Two Generals’ Killings: The Failed Military Coup of 1981.

The former president had arrived in Chattogram on May 29 to help resolve internal disputes within the BNP, Ziauddin wrote.

Several officers, including the then general officer commanding of the 24th Infantry Division, Major General Abul Manzoor, were arrested after the assassination. Manzoor was later killed.

Military courts subsequently tried some officers over the murder of Zaiur Rahman.

Law enforcement agencies said that Mozzafar fled after the assassination.​