A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in New Delhi on June 19 granted the agency an additional 45 days to continue probing a case involving Bangladeshi nationals accused of illegally entering India through the Meghalaya border and allegedly linked to the December 12, 2025, murder of Bangladeshi political activist Sharif Osman Bin Hadi. The accused were arrested in March 2026 and the NIA said the extra time is needed to verify new evidence and complete cross-border inquiries.
On June 19, Vacation Judge Meenu Kaushik remanded three accused — Rahul, also known as Faisal Karim Masud; Alamgir Hossain; and Philip Sangma — to judicial custody after they were earlier held for questioning by the NIA. The trio had faced prior custodial interrogation by the agency as part of its investigation into the Dhaka killing.
The court had already approved a 45-day extension to the original 90-day probe on June 16, with Vacation Judge Saurabh Pratap Singh allowing the investigation period to be lengthened to 135 days, citing the case’s complexity and the need for detailed evidence analysis. The NIA told the court it had received fresh records from the Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police and new material on June 8 following directions from the Supreme Court, both of which require further verification through custodial interrogation.
The accused opposed the request for additional custody through their counsel, but the NIA maintained that further custodial questioning was necessary to verify crucial facts emerging from the newly received material. Investigators said Rahul (Faisal Karim Masud) and Alamgir Hossain were questioned for 21 days each, while Philip Sangma underwent seven days of custodial interrogation.
The NIA alleges the three were involved in the killing of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a political activist who rose to prominence during the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh and was reportedly shot dead by assailants while travelling in an autorickshaw in Dhaka. Investigators say the accused fled into India via the Meghalaya border after the incident and were later apprehended by the STF in Bongaon, West Bengal, allegedly while attempting to return to Bangladesh.
The killing sparked unrest in parts of Bangladesh, and authorities there have filed a chargesheet naming 17 people in connection with the case. The NIA’s probe into the cross-border aspects and newly surfaced evidence remains ongoing.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/meghalaya/story/nia-gets-45-more-days-to-probe-bangladesh-activist-murder-case-linked-to-meghalaya-border-entry-1411548-2026-06-20?utm_source=rssfeed
Category:
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-06-20 21:13:00
