The investigation into the killing of Rangpur businessman Ashraful Haque has taken a dramatic turn, after the arrest of Jorej’s lover revealed that the murder stemmed not from an affair but from a planned scheme to entrap and extort him. 

According to her statement to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the pair intended to lure Ashraful into a romantic trap, blackmail him for a large sum of money, and ultimately disposed of his body by cutting it into 26 pieces and abandoning the remains in two drums near the High Court.

The details were disclosed on Saturday during a press briefing at Karwan Bazar, addressed by RAB-3 Commanding Officer Lt Col Fayezul Arefin.

On Thursday night (13 November), police recovered two blue drums near the gate of the National Eidgah ground, adjacent to the High Court, containing 26 pieces of a dismembered body. Fingerprint analysis confirmed the victim as Ashraful Haque, a raw materials trader from Rangpur. His family later filed a murder case with Shahbagh Police Station.

RAB arrested Jorej’s lover from Laksam in Cumilla the following day. Officials say her initial interrogation produced vital information and led to the recovery of key evidence.

Deception and Extortion

RAB reports that the woman and Jorej had maintained a romantic relationship for more than a year. Jorej allegedly proposed a plan to ensnare his friend—Ashraful—through a staged affair, suggesting they could extort Tk 10 lakh from him via blackmail. Of this, Jorej would take Tk 7 lakh and the woman Tk 3 lakh.

Following their plan, the woman began speaking to Ashraful over the phone a month prior to the killing. On the night of 11 November, Jorej brought Ashraful to Dhaka, and the next day the trio rented a small flat in the Nurpur area of Shanir Akhra for Tk 5,500.

There, Ashraful was given malt juice laced with sleeping pills. Once he was semi-conscious, Jorej filmed compromising footage. By midday, when Ashraful was fully unconscious, he was tied with rope and gagged with tape. RAB states that an intoxicated and agitated Jorej then struck him repeatedly with a hammer, killing him due to the combination of severe blows and suffocation.

The pair allegedly spent the night in the flat with the body still in the room. The next morning (13 November), Jorej purchased a machete and two blue drums. He then cut the body into 26 pieces and stored them inside the containers. 

At 2:43pm, the duo left the residence in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, later switching vehicles, and at 3:13pm dumped the drums under a large tree near the High Court’s water pump before fleeing. The woman subsequently travelled to her home in Cumilla.

Based on her information, RAB recovered bloodstained clothing belonging to Ashraful, as well as rope, tape and other items used in the killing.

A Tangled Web of Relationships

Police later arrested the main suspect, Jorejul, also known as Jorej, who had returned to the country from Malaysia. According to investigators, both he and Ashraful were from Rangpur and were friends. 

The woman, whose husband works in Saudi Arabia, had initially begun an affair with Jorejul after meeting him on social media. She later entered into a separate romantic relationship with Ashraful.

Upon returning to Dhaka, Jorejul reportedly discovered the pair together in a compromising situation, grew enraged, and struck Ashraful on the head with a hammer before suffocating him with a pillow. The woman is believed to have assisted in concealing the body.

Further Interrogation Underway

Lt Col Arefin said the arrested woman has been handed over to Shahbagh Police Station. He added that while the evidence points to an extortion plot, investigators are still exploring whether previous animosity also played a role, which will be clarified through Jorej’s interrogation.