Indian national put on four-day remand over 'suspected subversive plot'

A Dhaka court on Sunday sent Indian national Rabiul Islam on a fresh four-day remand after he was arrested from the capital on suspicion of involvement in a cognisable offence and "subversive activities" in Bangladesh.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana passed the order after police produced him before the court following the completion of his earlier four-day remand, said State Prosecutor Harun-or-Rashid.

Earlier, Sub-Inspector Binoy Kumar Roy of the Detective Branch produced him before the court and sought a fresh seven-day remand for Rabiul for interrogation.

Police detained him from the ground floor of a house at 60, Road 13, Sector 11, Uttara West, acting on a tip-off on 23 September. Later, the court placed him on a four-day remand on the same day.

Police claimed that Rabiul is an Indian national and had been staying in Bangladesh since 14 September. During preliminary interrogation, he produced an Indian passport as proof of his citizenship.

However, verification of his Indian passport, driving licence and national identity card revealed discrepancies in his date of birth, according to the police.

The remand petition said that although Rabiul had visited Bangladesh several times in the past, he could not provide a specific reason for his repeated visits and allegedly gave inconsistent and unclear information at different times.

Police suspect that Rabiul may have been involved in a cognisable offence in Bangladesh and may have links to subversive activities in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country in recent times, the petition said.