A metropolitan magistrate court in Dhaka on Monday allowed the police to take Jatiya Party鈥檚 Raushon Ershad-led faction secretary general Kazi Md Mamunur Rashid into custody for six days for interrogation in a case filed under the Anti-terrorism Act over his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to overthrow the interim government.
Metropolitan magistrate Sarah Farzana Haque passed the order responding to a petition filed by the police seeking the court鈥檚 permission to take Mamunur into custody for 10 days for interrogation in the case.
The court also rejected Mamunur鈥檚 bail petition.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police鈥檚 Detective Branch inspector Aktar Morshed, also the investigation officer in the case, had earlier produced him before the court.
Mamunur was arrested by the metropolitan police鈥檚 Detective Branch at a location near The Westin Dhaka hotel Sunday night.
The police alleged that Mamunur was an associate of Enayet Karim Chowdhury, a US citizen of Bangladeshi origin, who was arrested for 鈥榮uspicious movement鈥� at Minto Road in Dhaka on September 13.
It was reported that Enayet, during interrogation, told the police that a senior police officer went to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to receive him on September 6, while a DIG-rank officer assigned his own bodyguard, who is a member of the police, for Enayet鈥檚 security.
After arriving in Bangladesh from the United States, Enayet stayed for two days at a five-star hotel in Dhaka.
Kazi Mamunur Rashid arranged the hotel booking and payments, Enayet also told the police during interrogation.
Sub-inspector Azizul Hakim filed the case under the Anti-terrorism Act against 55-year-old Enayet on September 14, a day after he was arrested at Minto Road under section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for his suspicious movements and suspected conspiracy to overthrow the interim government.
The suspect was engaged in efforts to destabilise public security and sovereignty by acting as an agent of a foreign intelligence service to overthrow the Bangladesh interim government, said the case statement.
During preliminary interrogation after his arrest, Enayet informed the police that he was a contract-based agent of a foreign intelligence agency, the case statement said.
It also stated that he held several secret meetings with senior government policymakers, influential political leaders, and business figures in recent days.
He also acknowledged that he had been gathering intelligence on the current political situation, key officials, and different political party leaders, which he was passing on to his controlling intelligence agency, it said.
Enayet went to the US in 1988 and received citizenship there in 2004. He is now on a four-day remand in a money laundering case.
