A virtual court in Dhaka on Tuesday turned down both the bail and remand petitions of four accused, including Ahmed Kabir Kishore, and sent them to jail in a case filed against them under the Digital Security Act.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Jasim sent a virtual link to the Dhaka Central Jail authorities in Keraniganj, who are the custodians for the four accused in the case.
However, after the hearing, the court directed the investigation officer (IO) of the case Ramna police SI Jamshedul Alam to grill the four accused at the jail gate within two of the seven working days, in connection with the case.
Earlier on May 7, the IO of the case produced them before the court seeking 10-days remand for interrogation.
The three other accused are: former crocodile farm owner and writer Mushtaq Ahmed, organizer of Rashtrochinta Didarul Islam Bhuiyan, and Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) Director Minhaj Mannan Emon are now in jail in the case.
On the other hand, the defence counsel filed separate bail petitions seeking bail for the four accused along with remand rejection prayers through e-mail and took part in the hearing through videoconferencing before the virtual court.
Earlier on May 7 the law enforcerment picked up Ahmed Kabir Kishore from Kakrail, Mushtaq Ahmed from Lalmatia, Didarrul Islam Bhuiyan from Badda, and Minhaz Mannan Emon from Banani areas of Dhaka.
According to the case statement, RAB-3 cyber team received “secret information” regarding some people spreading false and fabricated information about the Covid-19 pandemic and against the government using several Facebook IDs.
It said RAB started screening some accounts and discovered a page — I am Bangladeshi — run by Facebook IDs—Saer Zulkarnain, Ami Kishore (in Bangla), Ashiq Imran, Philipp Schumacher, Swapan Jahid and Mustaque Ahmed.
The Facebook page posted false information and rumours against Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Liberation War and the Covid-19 situation, knowing full well that such information and rumours were false and intended to create confusion, read the statement.
In the statement, RAB referred to some hyperlinks of the Facebook posts to substantiate its claim.
The others accused in the case include expatriate journalists Tasneem Khalil and Shahed Alam, Saer Zulkarnain, Ashiq Imran, Philipp Schumacher, Swapan Jahid, Mustaque Ahmed and blogger Asif Mohiuddin.
RAB 3 Deputy Assistant Director Abu Bakkar Siddique filed the case against the duo and nine others with the Ramna police station on May 6.
