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Murder of S Taher Ahmed

SOLVED2006University of Rajshahi, Motihar, Rajshahi, Bangladesh3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Syed Taher Ahmed was a 58-year-old professor of geology and mining at the University of Rajshahi in Bangladesh and a senior member of the university's planning committee, which evaluated faculty promotion applications. In 2005, his junior colleague and former close friend, Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin, applied for promotion to full professor. Ahmed's review found that Mohiuddin had not completed the required 12 years of academic service and had plagiarised or pirated 10 of his 11 submitted research papers. The planning committee was scheduled to decide the matter on 2 February 2006.

Ahmed travelled from Dhaka to Rajshahi by bus on 1 February 2006 and called his wife that evening to confirm his safe arrival. He did not appear at the following day's committee meeting and could not be reached. His son, Sanjid Alvi Ahmed, travelled to Rajshahi and, on 3 February, discovered his father's body in a septic tank sewer near his university quarters, with a bus ticket still in his coat pocket. A coroner's report placed the time of death before 10pm on 1 February, and police confirmed Ahmed had been beaten to death.

Police investigation focused on Jahangir Alam, caretaker of the university quarters, who had denied seeing Ahmed on the day he disappeared. Ahmed's phone was recovered from Alam's residence. On 10 February 2006, Mohiuddin admitted involvement during police interrogation, and Alam later confessed that Mohiuddin had promised his family a reward — including money, a computer, and university jobs — for carrying out the killing. Alam had enlisted his brother, Abdus Salam, and brother-in-law, Nazmul Alam, to help. Also arrested and charged were Azimuddin Munshi, Alam's father, and Mahbubul Alam Salehi, president of the University of Rajshahi unit of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, following allegations raised at a Jamaat-e-Islami rally.

The trial before the Speedy Trial Tribunal in Rajshahi began in June 2007. Alam, Salam, and Nazmul testified that Mohiuddin had hired them for the murder. On 22–23 May 2008, Judge ATM Mesbauddoula sentenced Mohiuddin, Alam, Salam, and Nazmul to death, while acquitting Salehi and Munshi. The acquittals prompted disappointment from university faculty and former vice-chancellors, some of whom said they felt unsafe.

On appeal, the Bangladesh High Court in 2013 upheld the convictions but reduced the sentences of Salam and Nazmul to life imprisonment. Mohiuddin and Alam pursued further appeals to the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, which rejected their plea in 2022, with the Appellate Division concluding that Mohiuddin had killed Ahmed to prevent his promotion application from being blocked. A presidential plea for pardon was denied in mid-2023. Mohiuddin and Alam were executed by hanging at Rajshahi Central Jail on 27 July 2023.

Key facts

Victims
Syed Taher Ahmed
Date
2006
Location
University of Rajshahi, Motihar, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2005-05-16

    Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin formally submitted documents for confirmation as assistant professor.

  2. 2005-07-05

    Departmental planning committee found Mohiuddin had not met the required 12 years of academic service.

  3. 2005-09-10

    Ahmed submitted the committee's decision on Mohiuddin's case to the university registrar.

  4. 2006-02-01

    Ahmed travelled to Rajshahi and was killed that night; he was reported missing after failing to attend a scheduled committee meeting.

  5. 2006-02-03

    Ahmed's body was found in a septic tank sewer near his university quarters; a murder case was registered at Motihar Police Station.

  6. 2006-02-10

    Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin admitted involvement in the murder during police interrogation; Jamaat-e-Islami held a rally in support of Mahbubul Alam Salehi.

  7. 2007-03-18

    Police arrested Mohiuddin, Jahangir Alam, Abdus Salam, Nazmul Alam, Azimuddin Munshi, and Mahbubul Alam Salehi.

  8. 2007-06-18

    Trial began before the Speedy Trial Tribunal in Rajshahi with six accused.

  9. 2008-05-22

    Speedy Trial Tribunal sentenced Mohiuddin, Alam, Salam, and Nazmul to death; Salehi and Munshi were acquitted.

  10. 2013-04-21

    Bangladesh High Court upheld the convictions but reduced Salam and Nazmul's sentences to life imprisonment.

  11. 2022-09-14

    Supreme Court's Appellate Division published its verdict rejecting the final appeal by Mohiuddin and Alam.

  12. 2023-06-05

    A plea for presidential pardon was submitted on behalf of the condemned.

  13. 2023-07-25

    The Supreme Court issued an order for execution.

  14. 2023-07-27

    Mohiuddin and Jahangir Alam were executed by hanging at Rajshahi Central Jail.

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People

  • Abdus Salam

    CONVICTED

    Jahangir Alam's brother, convicted and sentenced to death, later reduced to life imprisonment on appeal.

  • Mahbubul Alam Salehi

    ACQUITTED

    President of the University of Rajshahi unit of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir; charged but acquitted at trial.

  • Syed Taher Ahmed

    VICTIM

    Professor of geology and mining at the University of Rajshahi; killed at age 58.

  • Naim Ahmed

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Rajshahi Metropolitan Police commissioner who led the murder investigation.

  • Azimuddin Munshi

    ACQUITTED

    Jahangir Alam's father; charged but acquitted at trial.

  • Jahangir Alam

    CONVICTED

    University quarters caretaker convicted of carrying out the killing; sentenced to death and executed on 27 July 2023.

  • Nazmul Alam

    CONVICTED

    Jahangir Alam's brother-in-law, convicted and sentenced to death, later reduced to life imprisonment on appeal.

  • Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin

    CONVICTED

    Associate professor convicted of orchestrating the murder; sentenced to death and executed on 27 July 2023.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

University of Rajshahi, Motihar, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

24.3745, 88.6042

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Syed Taher Ahmed, a geology professor at the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, was beaten to death and his body hidden in a septic tank in February 2006 after he uncovered plagiarism and service violations in a colleague's promotion application. A colleague and three others were convicted and sentenced to death; two were executed in 2023.
Where did the murder happen?
University of Rajshahi, Motihar, Rajshahi, Bangladesh.
Who was convicted?
Abdus Salam (Jahangir Alam's brother, convicted and sentenced to death, later reduced to life imprisonment on appeal.), Jahangir Alam (University quarters caretaker convicted of carrying out the killing; sentenced to death and executed on 27 July 2023.), Nazmul Alam (Jahangir Alam's brother-in-law, convicted and sentenced to death, later reduced to life imprisonment on appeal.), and Mia Mohammad Mohiuddin (Associate professor convicted of orchestrating the murder; sentenced to death and executed on 27 July 2023.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Bangladesh

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of S Taher AhmedWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — BBC NewsBBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — Associated PressAssociated Press · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026