Police have arrested three people, including a bus driver and a supervisor, in connection with the killing of Ismail Hossain, 50, whose body was recovered from the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.

According to police, the suspects planned to kill Ismail after the supervisor noticed a bundle of cash in the folds of his lungi while collecting his fare.

The arrested men are Raj Classic bus driver Sohel Rana, 41; supervisor Saju alias Limon, 26; and helper Md Monir Hossain, 19.

Joint Commissioner (Crime) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Md Faruk Hossain disclosed the information at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre today, Sunday, September 6.

Police said Ismail boarded the Raj Classic bus at Dikpaith bus stand in Jamalpur around 4:30am on September 4. He was travelling to his home in Kashimpur, Gazipur, carrying Tk five lakh

 that he had received from selling land.

When Saju went to collect the fare, Ismail took money out of the folds of his lungi. Seeing the bundle of cash, Saju suspected that Ismail was carrying a large amount of money.

He informed driver Sohel, and the two allegedly planned to rob Ismail. They later involved helper Monir in the plan.

According to police, other passengers got off the bus at different locations in Gazipur, but Ismail was not allowed to get down at Chandura bus stand. Instead, the suspects allegedly kept him on the bus, telling him that he would be dropped at his destination later and advising him to sleep.

After the other passengers had left, Saju and Monir allegedly tied Ismail's hands with adhesive tape and covered his nose and mouth with tape. They then strangled him with a towel, police said.

The suspects allegedly carried Ismail's body to Dhaka in the same bus. The bus entered the Dhaka Elevated Expressway through the airport area, got off at Banani, and later re-entered the expressway through Kakoli intersection.

Police said the suspects dumped Ismail's body between pillars 179 and 180 on the Kakoli-Kuril section of the expressway.

They then travelled via Kuril Bishwaroad to the Mohakhali Bus Terminal.

Police recovered the body from the expressway around 8:45am on September 4. Ismail's hands and mouth were taped, and there were injury marks around his neck.

He was initially unidentified. Police later confirmed his identity through fingerprint matching.

During preliminary interrogation, the three suspects allegedly confessed to taking around Tk 250,000 from Ismail after killing him. The money has not yet been recovered, while the whereabouts of the remaining Tk 250,000 are still unknown, police said.

Police have seized the Raj Classic bus allegedly used in the killing. Two towels, two blood-stained seat covers from the bus and a feature phone were also recovered.

Police said Saju alias Limon has two previous robbery cases against him. Sohel Rana has two robbery cases and two drug-related cases, as well as two arrest warrants against him.

A murder case has been filed with Banani Police Station in connection with the incident.