Two accused in Bangladesh’s political leader Osman Hadi’s murder arrested by Bengal STF: Official

Two persons accused of killing Osman Hadi, a political activist of Bangladesh whose daylight murder had sparked widespread violence in the neighbouring country, were arrested by the special task force (STF) of the West Bengal police, an official said on Sunday (March 8, 2026).

The two Bangladesh nationals, identified as Rahul alias Faisal Karim Masud (37) and Alamgir Hossain (34), residents of Patuakhali and Dhaka, respectively, were apprehended from the border town of Bongaon in North 24 Parganas district.

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They were arrested on the intervening night of March 7 and 8, the Bengal STF said in a statement.

It said that there was credible information that two Bangladeshi nationals, after committing serious crimes, including extortion and murder in Bangladesh, had fled and illegally entered India.

“They were trying to take shelter in the border area of Bongaon with the intention of crossing back into Bangladesh when the opportunity arises,” the statement said.

The two, accused of having committed the murder of Hadi, were intercepted by the STF after conducting a raid.

The STF said that the two accused entered Indian territory through the Meghalaya border and moved through different places in India and finally came to Bongaon with the intention of crossing back into Bangladesh.

“A specific case has been registered in this regard,” it said.

A court on Sunday (March 8) remanded Masud and Hossain to police custody.

Hadi, a student leader and spokesperson of the Inquilab Mancha in Bangladesh, was shot at on December 12, 2025, in Dhaka and thereafter flown to Singapore for better treatment. He died on December 18 there.