Two defendants in the case concerning the fire at the Green Cozy Cottage building on Bailey Road, which claimed 46 lives two years ago, have been granted bail after surrendering to the court.
On Wednesday, Md Ramzanul Haque Nihad, the proprietor of Amin Mohammad Foundation, and Russell Ahmed, the proprietor of Fuko Restaurant, surrendered before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana and applied for bail.
Advocate Zahid Hasan represented Nihad, while Pradip Ranjan Debnath argued for Russell’s bail. SI Shah Alam of the prosecution department confirmed that the court subsequently passed the order granting them bail.
Earlier, on 19 April, the court took cognizance of the charge sheet filed against 22 defendants, including owners of various restaurants located in the building. As 13 defendants were absconding at the time, the court issued arrest warrants against them on the same day.
The investigation of the case was concluded by CID Police Inspector Shahjalal Munshi, who submitted the charge sheet to the court on 2 April.
The devastating fire broke out at the seven-storey Green Cozy Cottage at approximately 9:45 pm on 29 February 2024. The tragedy resulted in 46 deaths, comprising 20 men, 18 women, and eight children. A total of 75 individuals were rescued alive.
The case was initially filed by SI Mohammad Shahidul Islam of Ramna Model Police Station. The investigation was later transferred from the local police to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
