Bangladeshi nabbed in Cagayan De Oro City for murder, other raps
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines—A Bangladeshi allegedly facing murder cases in the United States and other charges in Bangladesh and here was arrested, authorities said Thursday.
The Provincial Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operation Task Force (PAIDSOTF) identified the suspect as Asif Iqbal Ahmed, 49, a native of Barisal in Bangladesh. He arrived in the country late last year.
In his report to the Misamis Oriental provincial police office, Insp. Rustico Galagala Jr., Paidsotf chief, said Ahmed was arrested last Tuesday in Barangay (village) Lapasan here.
“We caught him just as he stepped out of his rented apartment in Lapasan,” Galagala said.
He said the local police had been monitoring Ahmed after they were alerted by the Interpol.
The foreigner was the main suspect in the killing of three persons, including his wife, in Rochester, Minnesota in 1991.
In his home country, Ahmed also faces charges of human trafficking and was even described by the Interpol office in Dhaka as a “seasoned trafficker.”
In an email by the National Central Bureau of the Interpol in Dhaka, Ahmed reportedly brought two of his compatriots to the Philippines by enticing them to invest and earn a lot of money in the country.
He allegedly asked BDT 50,000 (roughly P29,737) from each of the two victims before arriving in the Philippines.
The Interpol in Dhaka said Ahmed succeeded in bringing the two Bangladeshis to the Philippines and had them stay in Barangay Igpit in Opol, Misamis Oriental. He allegedly reneged on his promise of helping them invest.
The victims eventually went back to their home country and lodged a complaint there.
In the Philippines, Ahmed was charged with violence against women and children filed by his second wife, Filipino Marilyn Sacay.
Ahmed denied the murder charges against him, saying he has not even set foot in the US and has no wife there.
“I don’t have a first wife murdered. I don’t know where they [charges] came from,” said Ahmed, adding, “I have never been to the US. You can check with the Immigration [there].”
He, however, admitted there was a case filed against him in Bangladesh and would be willing to be deported by Philippine authorities.
“If I am really a human trafficker, why couldn’t they stop me while I was marrying? And if I am really a murderer, how can I enter Philippines and exit my country?” Ahmed said.
He said the accusations against him were all “fabricated.” RAM/rga
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