Rafi Uz-Zahed, 34, owner of the Hakka Dhaka restaurant, has withdrawn his surrender petition in a case filed over the fire at the Green Cozy Cottage building on Bailey Road in Dhaka that claimed 46 lives in 2024.
Rafi surrendered before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sefatullah and sought bail on Sunday.
Advocate ABM Ibrahim Khalil represented him during the bail hearing, while Prosecutor Muhammad Shamsuddoha Sumon opposed the plea.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court kept its order pending.
Later, however, the defence withdrew the surrender petition.
Speaking about the development, Prosecutor Muhammad Shamsuddoha Sumon said: “After the accused surrendered, the defence filed a bail petition, which was opposed by the prosecution. Following the hearing, the court reserved its order. Later, I was informed by the General Registration Branch that the bail petition had been rejected and the accused had been sent to jail. I conveyed that information to journalists I know. Subsequently, I was informed again that the defence had withdrawn the application. How is that possible?”
Rafi had previously filed and then withdrawn a surrender petition on May 23. He had also withdrawn similar petitions after surrendering on May 20 and 21.
Earlier, on May 17, Md Ramjanul Haque Nihad, proprietor of Amin Mohammad Foundation, and Adib Alam, owner of Hakka Dhaka, surrendered before the court and sought bail. Nihad later withdrew his surrender petition, while Adib Alam was granted bail.
On April 19, the court took cognisance of the charge sheet against 22 accused, including owners of several restaurants operating in the Green Cozy Cottage building, in connection with the fatalities caused by the fire. The court also issued arrest warrants for 13 absconding accused. Rafi Uz-Zahed was among those named in the warrants.
Earlier, on April 2, CID Inspector Shah Jalal Munshi submitted the charge sheet to the court following completion of the investigation.
The fire broke out at around 9:45pm on February 29, 2024 at the seven-story Green Cozy Cottage building on Bailey Road. A total of 46 people were killed, including 20 men, 18 women, and eight children. Seventy-five others were rescued alive.
Following the incident, Sub-Inspector Mohammad Shahidul Islam of Ramna Model Police Station filed the case. The investigation was later transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
