HC bail fraud exposed, convict 'escapes custody'

By concealing information, altering the signatures of two judges, forging a new case number and police station name, the accused secured bail from the High Court, fraudulently submitted it to the jail authorities, and escaped. This is not a plot from a Hollywood crime film, but a real incident in Bangladesh.

Shahedul Islam, an accused in an anti-terrorism case filed in Chattogram in connection with the seizure of 20,000 items of clothing from the "Kuki Chin" group, escaped from custody in a highly sophisticated manner. He is the owner of Ringvo Apparels in Chattogram.

Although the alleged concealment of information and bail fraud took place in the High Court seven months ago, the matter came to light only this week.

CJ orders probe report in 48 hours

The incident came to light when another accused in the same case appeared before the High Court seeking bail and cited the earlier bail granted to Shahedul Islam. Following this, Attorney General Barrister Md Ruhul Quddus Kajal placed the matter before Chief Justice Zubair Rahman Chowdhury.

Taking cognisance of the allegation, the Chief Justice on Wednesday directed Registrar General Muhammad Habibur Rahman Siddiqui to investigate the incident and submit a report within 48 hours.
Administrative sources said a parallel inquiry is underway to determine whether any bench officer or officials of the High Court Division or its Criminal Branch were involved. Lawyers observed that such a large-scale fraud would be difficult without internal collusion, stressing the need for a thorough investigation and strict action to dismantle the bail fraud network.

Registrar General Habibur Rahman Siddiqui said, "The incident of concealing information and bail fraud is true. The investigation is underway. You will soon know the progress of the investigation."

The case originated from a May 17, 2025 operation in Chattogram, where 20,300 garments allegedly manufactured for members of the Kuki Chin National Front were seized from Ringvo Apparels in the Bayezid Bostami area. Three individuals were arrested and a case was filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act against owner Shahedul Islam, Golam Azam, and Niaz Haider, who allegedly placed the order.

According to the case statement, the order, worth Tk 20 million, was taken in March from Monghlasin Marma and KNF members, with production manager Md Kamruzzaman listed as a seizure witness.

According to court records, Shahedul Islam applied for bail from jail, and his petition was listed on September 16 last year before a High Court bench comprising Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Abdullah Yusuf Sumon. The cause list shows multiple cases under similar titles, including duplicated case numbers, where item numbers 131 and 132 carried the same case number, creating scope for manipulation.

The Attorney General's office said the bail was granted in a different case that did not involve allegations related to the seizure of garments linked to Kuki Chin. After the judges signed the bail order, the first page was allegedly altered by changing the case details, police station name, and relevant legal provisions to match the Anti-Terrorism Act case.

The forged bail order was then submitted to jail authorities, leading to Shahedul Islam's release.
The matter resurfaced when another accused sought bail before a different High Court bench and his counsel referred to Shahedul's bail. Subsequent verification by the Attorney General's office found that the bail had been obtained through concealment of information and forgery, prompting the Attorney General to formally raise the issue before the Chief Justice.

The Kuki Chin National Front, an armed group whose presence in Ruma upazila of Bandarban became known in early 2022, is reportedly composed mainly of members from hill communities, particularly the Bom group, and is locally referred to as the Bom Party.