Indian national remanded for four days

A Dhaka court on Wednesday remanded an Indian national, identified as Rabiul Islam, for four days over discrepancies in his passport, national ID and driving licence and suspected involvement in subversive activities.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana passed the order after Detective Branch Sub-Inspector Binoy Kumar Roy sought seven days remand under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

According to the remand petition, Rabiul, a resident of North 24 Parganas in West Bengal, was detained at a house in Uttara on September 23 following a tip-off. Police said he entered Bangladesh from India on September 14 and his movements subsequently appeared suspicious.

The petition said the dates of birth on his Indian passport, driving licence and NID did not match. Police also alleged that he had provided inconsistent explanations about his repeated visits to Bangladesh and suspected that he might be linked to recent subversive activities.

During questioning by journalists, Rabiul denied any involvement in such activities and said he frequently visited Bangladesh to do garment business with a friend. He also denied allegations of links with a foreign intelligence agency, saying the discrepancies in his documents were due to their being issued long ago.

No lawyer appeared for Rabiul during the remand hearing. 

M. A. L/ sks