A Dhaka court has ordered the blocking of the passport of former councillor Taijul Islam Chowdhury Bappi, whose name emerged during a Detective Branch probe as an alleged planner in the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi.
The order was issued on Thursday by Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Sabbir Faiz following an application. The information was confirmed by the court’s bench assistant Md Riaz Hossain.
Earlier in the day, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Inspector Md Sohel Rana submitted the application.
According to the plea, investigators found evidence linking Bappi to offences including illegal brick kiln operations, forgery of documents, fraud, extortion, and money laundering amounting to Tk 2.51 crore.
A case under Section 4(2) of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2012 (amended in 2015), was filed with Pallabi Police Station on March 5. The accused is currently absconding and may attempt to leave the country to evade arrest.
The court directed the Special Branch (Immigration) of police to block his passport and assist in his arrest to ensure proper investigation. Additional Public Prosecutor Mostafa Sarwar Morad argued in favour of the application, which the court subsequently accepted.
Notably, Sharif Osman Hadi was shot on December 12 and later taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he underwent surgery before being transferred to Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. He was later flown to Singapore by air ambulance for advanced treatment, where he died on December 18.
Following an initial investigation, Detective Branch police submitted a charge sheet on January 6, naming 17 accused, including Bappi. However, after a petition by the complainant, Abdullah Al Jaber, the court ordered the CID to take over the investigation.
