Police have sought a fresh seven-day remand for Rabiul Islam, an Indian national detained over conflicting birth dates on his identity documents and suspicious movements.
The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police submitted the petition following a preliminary four-day interrogation.
The accused will be produced before the court of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Minhajur Rahman on Sunday.
State lawyer Md Harun-or-Rashid confirmed that Rabiul would be brought to court upon completion of his initial four-day remand.
The fresh remand petition was submitted by Inspector Mesbah Uddin of the Illegal Arms Recovery and Narcotics Control Team under DB’s Ramna Division.
Earlier on 23 September, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana placed Rabiul on a four-day remand after police arrested him under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and prayed for a seven-day remand.
Rabiul was not represented by a lawyer during that hearing.
According to case documents, Rabiul is a resident of Gouri Bhoj village under Matia Police Station in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district. He entered Bangladesh on 14 September.
Acting on a secret tip-off, police detained him from the ground floor of House No. 60, Road No. 13, Sector 11, within the jurisdiction of Uttara West Police Station.
Police added that although Rabiul identified himself as an Indian national and produced his passport, a verification of his Indian passport, driving licence, and National Identity Card (NID) revealed discrepancies in his date of birth.
Despite visiting Bangladesh on multiple occasions, he failed to state specific reasons for his visits and provided inconsistent statements during interrogation, raising suspicions regarding his movements.
In the new petition, police noted that important information was obtained during the four-day interrogation, requiring further verification and scrutiny to investigate any involvement in criminal acts.
Investigators added that Rabiul might be involved in cognisable offences in Bangladesh and are probing his potential links to subversive activities in Dhaka and other parts of the country. The investigation is currently being conducted under Section 54 of the CrPC.
Meanwhile, speaking to journalists while being brought to court, Rabiul claimed that police found no crime-related information from him. The accused said he came to Bangladesh to conduct garment business with his friend Kawsar and denied allegations of involvement with foreign intelligence agents.
Addressing the discrepancies in his date of birth across his passport, NID, and driving licence, Rabiul explained that because the documents were issued a long time ago, slight mismatches might exist.
The DB reiterated that a fresh remand is required to verify the retrieved information, ascertain his reasons for visiting Bangladesh, and check for any connection to suspicious activities.
