The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said today (15 December) it remains "still unclear" whether the attackers of Inquilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi escaped to India via the Mymensingh border.

"We are not sure whether the attackers fled to India through the Mymensingh border or not. We are still working on this," said BGB Sector Commander Colonel Sarkar Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman at a press briefing in Mymensingh, reports UNB.

He said BGB, along with police, conducted a joint operation in the border areas to catch Philip Snal, who is suspected of assisting the attackers in fleeing to India through the Mymensingh border.

The BGB has tightened security at the frontier after Osman Hadi was shot and detained two of Philip's associates who had been helping people cross the Nalitabari border in Sherpur, said BGB PRO Shariful Islam.

Philip, however, could not be detained during the operation. "We are working with all our strength to arrest Philip. If he is caught, many things will become clear, whether he helped in smuggling the attackers or not," the BGB commander Mostafizur said, reports UNB.

Colonel Mostafizur said law enforcement agencies are considering both possibilities, whether the attackers crossed the border or are still hiding inside the country.

"If he escaped, we want to know who helped him. And if he did not escape, then where he stayed and who sheltered him. We are continuing field-level investigations on both possibilities," he said.

On Saturday night, police and BGB detained four people from the Nalitabari border area of Sherpur and Haluaghat in Mymensingh during a joint drive.

The detainees are Philip Snal's wife Delta Chiran, his father-in-law Yerson Rangdi, and alleged human traffickers Louis Lengminja and Sibiron Dio of Haluaghat.

This morning, BGB detained another person suspected of being an accomplice of Philip Snal.

He is currently being interrogated and will be handed over to the nearest police station after questioning.

The BGB commander said they are also showing photographs of the suspected attacker, Faisal Karim Masud, to residents of border villages and urging them to inform authorities if anyone matching the description is seen acting suspiciously.

BGB has strengthened its presence along the border areas, he added.

Earlier yesterday (14 December), the DMP published a photograph of a suspected assailant involved in the attack and urged the public to provide any information that could help identify or locate the person.

Besides, Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced a reward of Tk50 lakh for information leading to the arrest of the person who shot Sharif Osman Hadi.

On Friday, around 2:15pm, Osman Hadi was shot and injured by assailants while travelling in a rickshaw in front of the water tank in the capital's Bijoynagar.  Two people on a motorcycle drew level with Hadi's rickshaw before one fired at him from close range. The bike then sped away.

Hadi was rushed to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition and later transferred to Evercare Hospital in the capital.

This afternoon, an air ambulance, equipped with all emergency facilities for a critical patient, departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport carrying Hadi to Singapore for advanced treatment.

The ambulance, operated by Aspro Aviation, took off from the airport at 1:55pm.

Sharif Osman Hadi / Attackers flee / Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)