A court has granted a three-day remand for Ahmed Shahriar Reza Dwip in a case filed over the death of former Air Force officer KM Tahsif Souri.
Police had earlier questioned Dwip on a four-day remand. After completing that period, investigators produced him before the court on Tuesday and sought another seven days of remand.
Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Hasan Shahadat granted the petition in part, allowing police to interrogate Dwip for three more days instead of the seven days sought.
State prosecutor Muhammad Shamsuddoha Sumon confirmed the development.
Arguing in favour of further remand, the prosecutor told the court that Dwip had claimed he and his friend were being chased and that, while fleeing, Tahsif jumped into the river whereas Dwip managed to escape.
He questioned why Dwip had not informed anyone about the incident that night, arguing that a person would not remain silent if a friend had gone missing.
The information Dwip had provided so far was unclear and inconsistent, adding that he appeared to be withholding important details, he also said.
He argued that seven days of remand were necessary to determine whether any Indian intelligence agency was involved in the matter. The prosecution also maintained that the killing was premeditated.
Opposing the remand, defence lawyer Mutasim Billah told the court that the prosecution was putting excessive pressure on his client, potentially forcing him to make a confession.
Referring to phone records from the night of the incident, he said they could help establish who contacted whom and who took the initiative to arrange the meetings.
He also pointed to CCTV footage showing the movements of those involved, saying the videos were already circulating online.
The defence lawyer raised concerns about Dwip’s physical condition after he completed four days of remand and questioned why police were seeking another seven days of interrogation.
He said the prosecution was repeatedly seeking further remand and urged the court to consider Dwip’s health.
Billah clarified that he was not seeking bail for his client that day but was asking the court to take his physical condition into consideration.
At around 2:25pm, the investigation officer brought the accused to court in a police vehicle and placed him in the court lock-up.
Earlier, Firoz Uddin, inspector of Tongi River Police Outpost, sought a second round of questioning, requesting seven days of remand on eight grounds.
