A Dhaka court has granted a third-phase remand of three days for former army officer and ex-MP Lieutenant General (Retd.) Masud Uddin Chowdhury in a human trafficking case filed at Palton Police Station, as the state counsel alleged his involvement in domestic and international trafficking networks.
Metropolitan Magistrate Didarul Alam passed the order on Saturday afternoon after a hearing.
The investigating officer, DB Police Sub-Inspector Md Raihanur Rahman, had sought a four-day remand after the accused completed an 11-day second-phase remand.
Earlier, Masud Uddin Chowdhury was detained from the capital’s Baridhara area on the night of 23 March. The court granted a five-day remand the following day, followed by a six-day remand on 29 March.
During the hearing, state counsel Syed Golam Murtaza Ibne Islam told the court, “Masud Uddin Chowdhury is one of the key operatives of the 1/11 era. Where it costs Tk78,000 to send one person abroad, they are taking Tk1.5 lakh. He was involved in human trafficking in the name of sending people abroad.”
“He was involved in domestic and international human trafficking syndicates,” the state counsel added, arguing that a remand was needed to uncover how and where the huge amount of money was laundered.
The remand application stated that despite careful interrogation during the previous six-day remand, complete information could not be obtained regarding the selection process of agencies receiving power of attorney, operational activities of FW CMS, the number of workers sent to Malaysia between 2022 and 2024, how many had returned, medical fees collected, and work permit documents.
Opposing the remand, defense lawyer Towhidul Islam Sajib argued that the accused, aged 72 and suffering from illness, had already served 11 days of remand. “If remand is ordered again in this case, it will set a record for remands in the country,” he said.
The court granted a three-day remand after hearing both sides.
The case was filed on 3 September at Palton Police Station by Altab Khan, proprietor of Afia Overseas, on charges of embezzlement and human trafficking through syndication. The case names 103 people as accused, including former Expatriates’ Welfare Minister Imran Ahmed, former Secretary Dr Ahmed Munirus Salehin, and former MP Benjir Ahmed, among others.
