A Dhaka court on Sunday granted a fresh four-day remand for Indian national Rabiul Islam on charges of date of birth discrepancies across his official identity documents, failing to state a specific reason for visiting Bangladesh, and suspicious movements.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana passed the order after the Detective Branch of police produced him before the court, said State Prosecutor Harun-or-Rashid.
Rabiul was produced before the court after completion of his initial four-day remand. Police Inspector Mesbah Uddin of the Illegal Arms Recovery and Narcotics Control Team under the DB’s Ramna Division sought a further seven-day remand for interrogation.
In the remand petition, Investigation Officer Mesbah Uddin said important information had been obtained during the initial questioning. He said further interrogation was necessary to verify and analyse the information and determine whether Rabiul was involved in any criminal activities.
When the judge asked about the nature of the information gathered, the IO said significant information had been obtained but declined to disclose details in court, citing the interest of the investigation.
State Counsel Harun-or-Rashid told the court that Rabiul had entered Bangladesh several times previously and that information had been found regarding his communication with individuals linked to banned organisations.
He said Rabiul’s explanation about the purpose of his visits to Bangladesh remained unclear. The state counsel also said various media reports had described Rabiul as a member of India’s Intelligence Bureau (IB), though Rabiul failed to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding his purpose for coming to Bangladesh during interrogation.
Harun-or-Rashid said an investigation was needed to determine whether Rabiul entered Bangladesh only as a tourist or had another objective. He added that police needed to examine his multiple entries into the country, contacts with individuals linked to banned organisations, communications and activities during his stay.
Defence counsel sought cancellation of the remand petition and prayed for bail. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court granted the four-day remand.
Earlier on 23 September, another Dhaka court sent Rabiul to four-day remand after police produced him under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and sought seven days’ remand. No defence lawyer was present during that hearing.
According to police records, Rabiul Islam is a resident of Gauri Bhoj village under Matia Police Station in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India. He entered Bangladesh on 14 September and was later detained based on secret information from the ground floor of House 60, Road 13, Sector 11 under Uttara West Police Station.
Police said Rabiul identified himself as an Indian national by producing an Indian passport. During verification of his passport, driving licence and National Identity Card, discrepancies were found in his date of birth recorded in the documents.
Police also said that despite travelling to Bangladesh several times, Rabiul failed to provide specific reasons for his visits.
While being taken to court earlier, Rabiul told journalists that police had found no evidence of criminal activity against him. He said he had come to Bangladesh for a garment fabric business with his friend Kawsar and denied having any connection with foreign intelligence agencies.
Regarding the differences in his date of birth across his passport, NID and driving licence, Rabiul said the documents were prepared long ago and minor inconsistencies could have occurred.
The DB is investigating the reasons behind Rabiul’s travel to and from Bangladesh, his contacts and whether he has any links to criminal or subversive activities.
