Indian Citizen Held Over Sabotage Suspicions Placed On Fresh Four Day Remand in Dhaka
A Dhaka court on Sunday placed Indian national Rabiul Islam, 44, on a fresh four-day remand in connection with his suspected involvement in recent acts of sabotage across Bangladesh and suspicious movements.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana issued the order following a hearing in the afternoon, as confirmed to the media by public prosecutor Harun Or Rashid. The accused, son of Shahidul Islam and Saleha Khatun from the Gori Bhoj area under Matia Police Station in India's West Bengal state's North 24 Parganas district, had entered Bangladesh on September 14.
Detective Branch (DB) police initially detained Islam on September 22 from a ground-floor apartment on Road 13 in Sector 11 of Uttara West Police Station area acting on a tip-off, and subsequently arrested him under section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure based on a general diary. Following an initial four-day remand granted on September 23, investigating officer and Sub-Inspector Mezbah Uddin produced him before the court seeking an additional seven-day remand, citing crucial leads obtained during the initial interrogation that required further verification to ensure a comprehensive investigation.
During the proceedings, state counsel Harun Or Rashid strongly advocated for the custody extension, whereas defense counsels petitioned for bail and the cancellation of the remand plea. The defense argued that the Indian national entered the country through legal channels, that the initial four-day interrogation yielded no investigative progress, and that a subsequent remand request lacked justification.
According to court documents presented by the Detective Branch, Islam identified himself as an Indian citizen using a passport during primary questioning. However, verification of his accompanying passport, driving license, and national identity card revealed discrepancies in his date of birth across the documents. Investigators noted that the accused failed to provide a valid, specific reason for his visit, offering inconsistent statements, which led police to suspect his potential involvement in destructive offenses and widespread sabotage activities spanning Dhaka and other parts of the country.
