Police have confirmed that Faisal Karim, the prime suspect in the killing of Inqilab Moncho leader Sharif Osman Hadi, has fled the country.

Speaking at a media briefing on Sunday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner SN Md Nazrul Islam said investigators had established that Faisal escaped to India’s Meghalaya state. He added that two individuals suspected of assisting his escape after the shooting have been arrested by Meghalaya police.

Police had earlier indicated that Faisal was believed to have left Bangladesh, although his location could not then be verified.

So far, 11 people have been arrested in connection with the case, including Faisal’s parents, his wife, his brother-in-law and a woman described by police as his girlfriend. Six of those detained have given confessional statements, according to investigators.

Police said they had recovered two foreign-made pistols, 52 rounds of ammunition, a motorcycle, a fake number plate and cheques amounting to Tk 21.8 billion linked to 53 bank accounts.

Despite these developments, investigators said the motive behind the killing remains unclear, as the principal suspect is still at large.

The case was filed on December 14 by Inqilab Moncho Member Secretary Abdullah Al Jaber over an attempted murder, two days after Hadi was shot. It was later converted into a murder case following Hadi’s death.

Hadi, who rose to prominence during last year’s July Uprising and the movement demanding a ban on the Awami League, was shot in the head on December 12 while campaigning in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area. He had announced plans to contest the upcoming general election as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency.

Police said Hadi was travelling in a battery-powered rickshaw when he was shot by an assailant riding pillion on a motorcycle. He was later flown to Singapore for treatment, where he died six days later, on December 18.

Nazrul said informal coordination with Meghalaya police led to the arrest of two people accused of helping Faisal after he crossed the border.

According to investigators, Faisal and his associate, motorcycle driver Alamgir Sheikh, fled Dhaka immediately after the attack, travelling by CNG autorickshaw to Aminbazar before moving on to Kalampur in Manikganj and then by car to Haluaghat in Mymensingh.

Nazrul said two individuals, identified as Philip and Sanjay, were waiting for them at Moon Filling Station before Haluaghat. Philip allegedly helped Faisal cross into Meghalaya and handed him over to a man known as Putti, who then arranged transport with a taxi driver, Sami, to take them to the city of Tura.

Based on information obtained through informal channels and coordination with Meghalaya police, both Putti and Sami have since been arrested, he said.

Authorities said the investigation is now at its final stage, with a chargesheet expected to be submitted to court within the next seven to ten days.

Nazrul added that investigators had identified Faisal and Alamgir shortly after the attack using CCTV footage and digital evidence, and that the killing had been premeditated—allowing the suspects to cross the border quickly before law enforcers could intercept them.

Earlier, at a joint press conference on December 21, law enforcement agencies, including Police Headquarters, the DMP Detective Branch, the Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh, said Faisal’s whereabouts could not be confirmed, although they stressed that “maximum efforts” were under way to arrest him.a