Dhaka: Detectives suspected Ansarullah Bangla Team, the banned Islamic militant outfit, might have been involved in the killing of blogger Niloy.

Joint Commissioner (Detective Branch) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Monirul Islam came up with the apprehension while talking to journalists at the Detective Branch (DB) headquarters on Monday.

Blogger Niladri Chattopadhyay Niloy, who was residing at a rented flat on the 4th floor of a multi-storey building at Goran in Dhaka, was hacked to death on Friday. He was the fourth Bangladeshi blogger killed so far this year.

The DB official said there is similarity between the murder of bloggers killed earlier and that of Niloy. ‘Primarily, it seems to us that Ansarullah Bangla Team is involved in the Niloy killing.’

Earlier on 26 February this year, Avijit Roy, son of noted physicist Ajoy Roy and founder of Mukto-Mona blog, was killed and his wife Rafida Afrin Banya injured seriously as unidentified criminals stabbed them near TSC on the Dhaka University campus.

One month into the killing of Avijit Roy, another blogger named Washiqur Rahman Babu was hacked to death by a group of assailants at Begunbari of Tejgoan industrial area of the city on 30 March.

Later on 12 May, blogger Ananta Bijoy Das, also an activist of Sylhet Ganajagaran Manch, was hacked to death by a group of assailants in broad daylight at Subidbazar Bankalapara in Sylhet city.

Monirul said the DB formally received the docket of the Niloy killing case from Khilgaon Police Station on Monday for investigation.

Several DB officials also visited the place of occurrence on Monday morning as part of its formal investigation, he added.

‘The evidence which were collected from Niloy’s residence soon after the killing have already been sent to the CID lab for forensic test. There’ll be a good progress in cracking the case once the forensic report is received,’ hoped the DB joint commissioner.

He also said bloggers are now being monitored. ‘If any blogger hurts anyone’s religious belief through his writing, he’ll be brought to book as per laws of the land,’ he added.

Earlier on Sunday, Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque also urged bloggers not to ‘cross the limit’ while writing, saying the ‘freethinkers’ should keep in mind that hurting someone’s religious sentiment is a criminal offence.