Faisal Karim Masud, also known as Daud, who has been named by Dhaka as a key suspect in the case, released a video message saying he is currently in Dubai and had nothing to do with Hadi’s death.
He also dismissed reports that he crossed into India following the shooting, calling the claims completely false.
Hadi was shot in the head in Dhaka on December 12 and died six days later. On December 28, Bangladesh authorities said that Masud and another suspect, Alamgir Sheikh, had escaped the country and entered India through Meghalaya. Indian officials strongly denied the allegation, describing the statement as misleading and without evidence.
According to the report, in his video, Masud said he left Bangladesh because of what he described as a false case against him. He claimed he travelled to Dubai using a valid five-year visa after facing mounting pressure at home.
Masud accuses political rivals
Masud acknowledged that he had visited Hadi’s office shortly before the shooting but insisted the meeting was purely professional. He said he runs an IT company and had earlier worked with Bangladesh’s finance ministry. “I did go to Hadi’s office. I am a businessman; I own an IT firm, and I was previously employed at the ministry of finance. I went to meet Hadi regarding a job opportunity. He promised to arrange the job and asked for an advance payment,” he said.
According to him, he met Hadi in connection with a job opportunity and paid him 500,000 taka as an advance after Hadi promised to help arrange employment. “I gave him 5,00,000 taka. He also asked me to donate to his various programmes, and I provided funds whenever he requested.”
He also said he contributed funds to Hadi’s programmes at his request, TOI reported.
The suspect went on to accuse “Jamaat-linked elements” of being responsible for the killing, claiming Hadi himself had past ties to the group. He further alleged that his family members are being harassed and mistreated despite having no involvement in the case.’
“My family is being falsely implicated in the case and is being severely harassed and tortured, despite being completely innocent,” he said.
The controversy comes at a politically sensitive moment in Bangladesh. The Yunus-led interim government is under pressure following a 30-day ultimatum issued by Inqilab Moncho demanding swift justice in the case. There have also been accusations from several quarters that the murder was politically motivated and linked to efforts to disrupt the national elections scheduled for February.
Senior Dhaka police officer S.N. Md. Nazrul Islam had earlier stated that Masud escaped to India, a claim rejected by Meghalaya’s police chief Idashisha Nongrang as baseless. India’s Border Security Force also said it had no record of such a crossing.
Hadi, who was a prominent figure in Bangladesh’s July 2024 uprising, was shot on December 12 in the capital. His death triggered unrest