Siam Hossain, one of the prime suspects in the murder and subsequent body disposal of Jhenaidah-4 lawmaker Anwarul Azim Anar, has been arrested in Nepal.
Nepal police detained him on Thursday, a diplomatic source in Kathmandu confirmed the news today.
Siam, who hails from Borhanuddin in Bhola, was reportedly working as an assistant to Akhtaruzzaman, according to a police source involved in the investigation.
Efforts have already begun to repatriate Siam through diplomatic channels by the Bangladesh Embassy, said the source.
An investigation source related to Anwarul's murder disclosed that Siam played a significant role in the body disposal after Anwarul Azim was killed in Kolkata on May 13. Following this, Siam fled from Kolkata to Nepal. The police also said that Akhtaruzzaman, alias Shahin, the mastermind of this murder, traveled from Dhaka to Kathmandu via Delhi on May 20 and later went to the United States via Dubai.
In connection with Anwarul Azim's murder, a case has been filed by Kolkata Police at the New Town police station in India.
Additionally, Anwarul's younger daughter, Mumtahin Ferdous, filed a case at the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station in Dhaka.
The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and Kolkata Police are jointly investigating the cases through mutual information exchange.
Three people have been arrested in Dhaka and one in Kolkata related to this case.
Sources in Kathmandu have also indicated that Kolkata Police are maintaining communication with Nepal regarding Siam's arrest.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner (DB) Harun-or-Rashid told journalists last Thursday that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has informed Interpol about Akhtaruzzaman and Siam, including their passport and phone numbers.
He said regular communication is maintained with the Bangladesh embassies in the USA and Nepal to repatriate these two individuals.
Furthermore, assistance has been sought from India to extradite Akhtaruzzaman from the USA, he added.