M Ilias Ali (1 January 1961 – disappeared 17 April 2012)[3] was a Bangladeshi politician and member of the Jatiya Sangsad (2001–2006) representing the Sylhet-2 constituency.

[5] Later that day, local police recovered his abandoned car near his residence in Banani neighborhood and found Ansar's cellphone inside.

[3] Ali started his political career in 1980 with the student wing of the BNP, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, founded the year before.

In a couple of years, he became leader of the dorm, and in 1983 became a central executive member of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD).

[citation needed] In 1986, the National Council of JCD was held, where Ali was elected as the International Affairs Secretary of the Central Executive Committee.

In 1992, the national council of JCD was held, and Ali was elected General Secretary of Jatiyotabadi Chhatra Dal.

Ali spoke in favor of promoting Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of Khaleda Zia, who is active in the BNP and is now second in power to his mother.

[9] To blunt the conflict, in June 2006 the BNP dissolved the Sylhet district convening committee, which Ali had led.

In response to a press inquiry, Ali said he had talks with the BNP chairperson on organizational matters in Sylhet district.

[13] On 9 December 2006, Ali was shot at by unidentified gunmen while in his Jeep in front of the Osmaninagar Police station, after returning from an election campaign meeting in his constituency.

[14] Having vowed to clean up corruption, in the spring of 2007 the caretaker government filed charges against 160 persons, including Tarique Rahman, the BNP Senior Joint Secretary General, his brother Arafat Rahman, and their mother Khaleda Zia, the former prime minister, as well as many other politicians, civil servants and businessmen.

Later that year, the government filed corruption and murder charges against Sheikh Hasina, head of the Awami League and also a former prime minister.

[17] In January 2009, the Awami League government filed charges of conspiracy against Ilias Ali and 250 BNP members.

In addition to Khaleda Zia, Ilias Ali and Mahmudur Rahman, editor of Amar Desh and former BNP energy advisor, were speakers.

He had leaflets describing the event printed and distributed in Sylhet and the key areas of Bondor Bazar, Court Point, Zindabazar, Amborkhana and others.

During the Long March, Khaleda Zia traveled through a total of six districts, stopping to speak to crowds at public and street rallies.

The BNP was concerned about India's construction of the Tipaimukh Dam on the Barak River, which enters northeastern Bangladesh at Amalshid in Zakigonj.

Ali announced the BNP would stage other events, such as a human chain, hunger strike and grand rally at Amalshid, where the Barak River enters Bangladesh.

[24] BNP supporters led day-long hartals (strikes) for three consecutive days on 23, 24 and 25 April in the week following Ali's disappearance.

[24] Ali was among a series of politicians who had disappeared: in 2012 there had been 22 already, according to Ain o Salish Kendra, a human rights organization, and 51 went missing in 2011.

[24] According to the leaked documents obtained by Netra News, RAB-1 conducted an investigation revealing that the abduction was a meticulously planned mission carried out by RAB’s intelligence wing.

Investigators traced the operation through mobile phone records, identifying suspicious activity involving eight CityCell numbers used during the abduction.

The investigation suggested that three coordinated teams were involved: one to carry out the abduction, another to trail Ali, and a third providing surveillance support from the National Monitoring Centre (NMC) at DGFI headquarters.

Allegations also implicated Brigadier General Ziaul Ahsan, then-chief of RAB’s intelligence wing, in orchestrating the abduction.

In the video, he alleged that Ilias Ali was killed by police several years ago, detailing that he was suffocated with a polythene bag, repeatedly stabbed, and then drowned in the Bay of Bengal near Patenga Beach.