Major Mozzafar Hossain (retired), one of the key planners in the assassination of former President Ziaur Rahman, has been arrested after remaining a fugitive for 45 years. Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police detained him late Wednesday night in the Banani DOHS area of the capital. Following legal procedures, he has been handed over to the Bangladesh Army for completion of court-martial proceedings.

According to historical and case records, Ziaur Rahman was killed on May 30, 1981, in Chittagong Circuit House by a group of renegade army officers. Major Mozzafar Hossain and Captain Mosleh Uddin were among those directly involved. Mozzafar reportedly identified the president and fired the fatal shots before informing then GOC Major General Abul Manzoor of the killing. After the incident, several officers were arrested, but Mozzafar and another officer managed to escape.

Investigators said Mozzafar had lived in India between 1997 and 1998, using aliases to move across borders. His capture marks a major development in one of Bangladesh’s most discussed political murder cases, reopening a long-unresolved chapter of national history.