In a pivotal development for the investigation into the death of legal practitioner Naim Kibria, a primary suspect has provided a formal judicial confession detailing a harrowing multi-stage assault. On Monday, Mohammad Zobayer Hossain, 29, was produced before the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court, where Magistrate Jewel Rana recorded his statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Zobayer was apprehended by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-1) in Gulshan on 4 January, following a manhunt triggered by the brutal killing in the Bashundhara Residential Area.
The victim, a respected advocate of the Pabna District Judge’s Court, was allegedly lynched following a minor road traffic altercation. According to the investigation officer, Inspector Mohammad Mehedi Hasan of Bhatara Police Station, the violence was sparked when Kibria’s private car reportedly brushed against a motorcycle. When the lawyer failed to stop, he was pursued by a mob of motorcyclists through the residential blocks.
The Anatomy of the Assault
The prosecution, led by Advocate Shamsuddoha Suman, presented CCTV evidence depicting a calculated pursuit. The footage shows Zobayer and several accomplices on three motorcycles chasing the victim’s car. They eventually cornered him at the entrance of Road 7, Block I, where they formed a barricade.
According to the confession, the murder was carried out in two distinct phases of violence:
| Incident Phase | Specific Location | Nature of Action |
| Initial Interception | Block I, Road 7 | Zobayer and 5-6 others forced Kibria out of his car and began a systematic beating. |
| Abduction | Transit | The victim was forcibly mounted onto a motorcycle and transported to a secondary site. |
| Fatal Lynching | Block I, Road 15 | A larger mob of 7-8 unidentified men joined the assault, leading to Kibria’s death. |
| Emergency Recovery | Near Walton House | The victim’s cousin, Rakibul Islam, discovered him at 10:45 pm. |
Judicial Custody and Search for Accomplices
Medical reports from Kurmitola General Hospital confirm that Naim Kibria was deceased upon arrival, having succumbed to multiple blunt-force injuries. His father, Golam Kibria, filed the formal murder charge on 1 January.
The court has ordered Zobayer to be held in judicial custody without bail, citing the gravity of the crime and the risk of him fleeing justice. While Zobayer has admitted to his “active and primary participation,” the authorities are now intensifying their efforts to identify the remaining seven to eight suspects involved in the second phase of the lynching. This incident has reignited a fierce debate regarding the rise of “mob justice” and the safety of professional citizens within Dhaka’s secured residential zones.