Major (retired) Mozzafar Hossain, convicted in the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman, was transferred on July 17, 2026, from Dhaka Cantonment to military custody at Chattogram Cantonment. The move followed his dramatic arrest by Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police in Banani DOHS after 45 years in hiding. Authorities said the transfer was made because the 1981 assassination and subsequent trial had taken place in Chattogram.

According to military sources, Mozzafar will first face trial for desertion before the previously declared death sentence for his role in the assassination is carried out under court-martial procedures. Investigations revealed he had fled to India after the killing and lived under aliases with alleged support from Indian intelligence until returning to Bangladesh in 1996. His arrest reportedly followed leads from the call records of retired Lieutenant General Masud Uddin Chowdhury.

Security sources indicated that Mozzafar’s interrogation could help uncover deeper conspiracies behind the 1981 events. The government is considering forming a national investigation commission involving military and civilian agencies to pursue a comprehensive inquiry into the historical case.