Jihad Hawaladar, a 24-year-old butcher who allegedly chopped Bangladeshi MP Anwarul Azim Anar’s body into pieces for easy disposal, was brought to a Rajarhat apartment a week before the Awami League lawmaker was invited there and killed, an officer in the Bengal CID said on Friday.

Jihad, an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh who had settled in Mumbai, was brought to Calcutta two months ago, the officer said.

He was reportedly put up at an apartment in Chinar Park that was taken on rent by Akhtaruzzaman Shahin, a US-based businessman from Bangladesh and the alleged mastermind behind the murder.

CID sources said Jihad had mentioned during interrogation that he had stayed with Shahin for four days, till May 10, at the Rajarhat apartment where the MP was allegedly murdered on May 13. This apartment, too, had been taken on rent by Shahin, according to police sources.

“Jihad admitted that the finer points of the murder were discussed and finalised during his stay with Shahin,” a CID officer said.

Based on his statements, CID sleuths searched a waterbody and a swampy land around Krishnamati village in Bhangar for Anar’s body. Nothing was found till Friday evening.

Jihad had sneaked into India through the India-Bangladesh border a year ago, CID sources said.

“He was arrested from Gopalnagar in North 24-Parganas late on Thursday. He has multiple criminal cases against him in Bangladesh,” an officer said.

According to CID officers, Shahin had contacted Jihad through a youth named Siam and brought him to Calcutta two months ago.

CID sleuths on Friday questioned a man named Pintu Das, a resident of Anurupa Pally in Rajarhat, who was engaged by Shahin as the caretaker of the Chinar Park apartment. Shahin had taken the apartment on rent in 2018.

“Das said Shahin or his guests from Bangladesh would often visit the apartment. So when Jihad arrived as Shahin’s guest, he did not find anything unusual. On May 6, he drove Jihad to the other Rajarhat apartment, where the MP was later murdered,” said a CID officer.

During his stay at Chinar Park, Jihad would usually “stay indoors” and did not do anything that could arouse suspicion, Das reportedly told the investigators.

“Shahin and Jihad spent four days together in the Rajarhat apartment, before the businessman left Calcutta on May 10. In between, the other members of the gang joined,” the officer said.

“The MP was taken to the apartment on May 13 and killed the same day.”

CID officers said six or seven persons executed the plan. The department has collected CCTV footage in which a man resembling Syed Amanullah, who is in custody in Bangladesh in connection with the murder, and another resembling Jihad are seen stepping out of the Rajarhat apartment at 5.11pm on May 14 with a green trolley bag.

Sleuths suspect the bag contained the MP’s body parts.

Footage of an earlier date has also emerged which shows Anar and two other men entering the flat. The two men — identified as Amanullah and Faizal — were allegedly involved in the murder.

Faisal is at large, officers said.

CID officers said they are looking for at least three more suspects.