A Dhaka court has placed expelled Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leader Mahi Chowdhury Arnab on a two-day remand for his alleged involvement in embezzling Tk 38 lakh by promising lucrative investments on Facebook.
Earlier, the investigating officer of the case and Sub-Inspector of Kafrul Police Station Md Sajjad Hossain produced the accused before the court and sought a five-day remand. The court’s decision was confirmed by the plaintiff’s lawyer, Rajan Chandra Ghosh.
According to the case statement, the plaintiff’s elder brother, Md Shakirul Islam Himel, came into contact with Mahi through an “investor group” on Facebook on several occasions from June 1, 2023. Mahi allegedly persuaded Himel to invest by claiming that he was a partner in a catering and accessories business. Trusting the claim, Himel handed over a total of Tk38.28 lakh through bank transfers and cash at different times.
However, Mahi subsequently went into hiding without returning the principal amount or providing any promised profits.
The situation escalated on April 4 when the victims attempted to recover their money. It is alleged that the accused threatened to implicate them in false cases. Following this, Md Samsul Huq Tushar filed a case at Kafrul Police Station on 15 April, naming three individuals, including Mahi Chowdhury and his father, Nazmul Karim Chowdhury.
During the hearing, defense lawyer Khorshed Alam Bhuiyan moved a petition seeking bail and the cancellation of the remand. The plaintiff’s side was represented by lawyers Atikuzzaman Molla, Abir Hossain Talukdar, and Rajan Chandra Ghosh.
In the remand application, the IO stated that the accused is part of an organised gang. The police maintained that custodial interrogation is necessary to locate the embezzled funds, identify the mediums of transaction, and track down other individuals involved in the syndicate.
