DistantNews
Support us
🇧🇩 Bangladesh /Crime & Justice

Former JnU student alleges men posing as Rab officers tried to detain her

From Daily Star · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Men identified as members of Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion allegedly tried to detain a former Jagannath University student in Old Dhaka, but left after teachers, students and police arrived.
  • Police said Rab-2 had been requisitioned in a case involving the alleged theft of Tk 39 lakh in cash and gold ornaments, but confirmed the woman was not an accused.
  • The former student denied the allegations and said she was being framed in a family dispute.

A former Jagannath University student says men in civilian clothes who identified themselves as Rapid Action Battalion members tried to take her from student housing in Old Dhaka early Sunday. They left after university teachers, students and police reached the scene.

The incident occurred around 5:45 a.m. on Johnson Road in Koltabazar. The men were later identified, according to information available to the university and police, as members of Rab-2. Momtaz Ara Barsha, a former Theatre Department student, said they showed no identity cards, case documents or warrant.

Rab-2 was requisitioned to arrest the accused and recover evidence.

· Rakibul HasanThe Cantonment Police Station officer in charge explained why Rab-2 had been requested in the theft case.

Barsha alleged that her sister's former husband, Sumon Mia, was behind the attempt because of a family dispute. She said her sister divorced Mia in May and that the family later filed a case against him under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act at the Dinajpur Judge Court in August. Barsha alleged that Mia, who worked in Rab's IT section, used his influence to try to abduct her.

They cannot arrest her. They did not contact us either. Perhaps they went there to question her.

· Rakibul HasanThe police officer said Barsha was not an accused and addressed whether Rab could arrest her.

Police gave a different account of why the team had been sent. Cantonment Police Station said Senior Assistant Police Commissioner Hasan Muhammad Muhtarem filed a case after his wife, Naurin Haque, allegedly lost cash and gold ornaments worth Tk 39 lakh. The officer in charge, Rakibul Hasan, said Rab-2 had been requisitioned to arrest suspects and recover evidence.

Hasan later clarified that Barsha herself was not an accused. The first information report alleges that she purchased the ornaments from the alleged perpetrators. Asked whether Rab could arrest her, Hasan said, "They cannot arrest her. They did not contact us either. Perhaps they went there to question her." Barsha called the allegations "completely false and fabricated". Attempts to contact the Rab-2 commander and the complainant were unsuccessful.

Completely false and fabricated.

· Momtaz Ara BarshaBarsha rejected the allegations against her and said she was being framed.
About this summary

Originally published by Daily Star in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog