“I’m in Dubai,” Claims Osman Hadi Murder Accused as Questions Raised Over His Location

In a dramatic turn in the murder case of Bangladeshi student leader Sharif Osman Hadi

The prime accused Faisal Karim Masud has publicly denied any involvement, claiming he is currently in Dubai, contradicting Bangladeshi police allegations that he fled to India after the killing.

In a viral video message, whose authenticity has not independently verified, Masud said he did not kill Hadi and alleged that a radical political group was behind the attack. He acknowledged visiting Hadi’s office shortly before the shooting but said their relationship was strictly professional.

“I want to state clearly that I am not involved in the murder of Hadi in any way. This case is completely false and based on a fabricated conspiracy,” Masud said in the video.

He claimed that he was forced to leave Bangladesh due to the case and travelled to Dubai legally. “Because of this false implication, I was forced to leave the country and come to Dubai. I came here with great difficulty, even though I held a valid five-year multiple-entry Dubai visa,” he said. A purported image of his UAE visa has also surfaced on social media.

Masud further alleged that his family was being harassed by authorities despite having no connection to the case. “They have no involvement whatsoever. This kind of inhumane treatment of my family is unjust and unacceptable,” he said.

Detailing his association with Hadi, Masud said he had met the student leader regarding a job opportunity. “I am a businessman and own an IT firm. I was previously employed at the Ministry of Finance. I went to meet Hadi about a job. He asked for an advance payment, and I gave him 500,000 taka,” Masud claimed, adding that he also donated money to Hadi’s programmes on multiple occasions.

Masud accused Jamaat-e-Islami-linked elements of orchestrating the killing. “This incident is the work of Jamaat. Neither I nor my younger brother was on that motorcycle. We have been deliberately framed,” he alleged.

Bangladesh Police’s Claim

Bangladeshi police have earlier stated that Masud and another accused, Alamgir Sheikh, fled the country after the murder and entered India through the Meghalaya border. Bangladeshi media reports claimed the two crossed into India via the Haluaghat border in Mymensingh district.

India’s Response

India has categorically denied the allegations, rejecting claims that the accused were present in the country or that India had any connection with the case. New Delhi has said the narrative linking India to the killing was being pushed by extremist elements.

Osman Hadi’s Killing

Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader of Bangladesh’s student movement last year, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka on December 12. He succumbed to his injuries six days later at a hospital in Singapore. Hadi had emerged as a key face of the student-led protests that eventually led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government.

Following his death, violent mobs vandalised Dhaka, torching the offices of newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, as well as cultural organisations Chhayanat and Udichi Shilpi Goshthi. A Hindu factory worker was also lynched by a mob in Mymensingh, escalating communal tensions in the country.