Former Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGF)I director general Lt Gen (retd) Sheikh Mamun Khaled told a Dhaka court on Thursday that he had directly played a role in securing Tarique Rahman’s bail during the 1/11 period, as the court placed him on a five-day remand in a murder case filed at Mirpur Model Police Station.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Siddiq Azad passed the order on a petition by the investigating officer. DB Sub-Inspector Kafil Uddin had sought seven days; the court granted five.
With permission, Mamun Khaled told the court: “During 1/11, I was in Comilla… I directly played a role regarding the bail of honorable Prime Minister Tarique saheb.” On the Jolshiri Housing Project, he said he was tasked with recovering Tk1,500 crore from a person named “Nazrul saheb” and was only involved in that work.
Regarding “Aynaghar,” he said he had given hearings “two or three times” and that there were no allegations during his tenure. Referring to July uprising, he said he returned from the UK on September 18 and stayed in the country.
On his post-retirement period, he said he was the founding vice chancellor of BUP and that students there were encouraged during the July uprising. He denied visiting the alleged crime scene, saying he did not go outside DOHS, and added: “Who would shoot on my instruction in 2024? At that time, I was a civilian.”
The investigating officer said remand was needed for proper investigation. State counsel and PP Omar Faruk Faruki supported the plea, alleging that during a student movement, attacks on protesters were carried out on Mamun Khaled’s instructions, leaving one person named Delwar dead.
The PP alleged the accused was active during 1/11, detained businesspeople and political leaders, extorted money, and later helped bring Sheikh Hasina to power, becoming DGFI chief. He also alleged Mamun Khaled created “Aynaghar,” where torture took place, politicized DGFI, embezzled funds from the Joshiri project, and evicted former prime minister Khaleda Zia from a cantonment residence. He said a travel ban had been imposed on Mamun Khaled and his wife.
Defense lawyers Morshed Hossain Shaheen and Nazrul Islam sought bail and cancellation of remand, arguing his name is not in the FIR and that he served lawfully for over three decades. They said he was not in charge of “Aynaghar,” retired before the previous government’s fall, and was not present at the scene.
According to the remand petition, on July 19, 2024, 500–700 Awami League activists attacked protesters in Mirpur-10. The petition alleged firing on Mamun Khaled’s instructions injured Delwar Hossain, who died on July 21 at a Shyamoli hospital. His wife filed the case on August 6.
Earlier, DB police arrested Sheikh Mamun Khaled from a flat in the capital’s Mirpur DOHS area at around 12:30 am on Wednesday.