A Dhaka court has granted bail to Md Rakib Hossain in a case filed over the death of a school headteacher who fell from a moving autorickshaw after motorcycle-riding snatchers grabbed her bag near the National Parliament House in the capital.
Dhaka Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Ayesha Akter Mousumi granted his bail on a Tk5,000 bond following a hearing on Sunday.
Defence lawyer Md Mehedi Hasan Majumder confirmed the matter, saying the bail would remain effective until the police report is submitted. He expressed hope that Rakib would be released soon, as no other cases were pending against him.
The lawyer claimed that the motorcycle initially seized by police belonged to Rakib but was not used in the snatching. He said the motorcycle was at a garage at the time of the incident and that CCTV footage supported his claim. The motorcycle allegedly used in the crime was recovered later, he added.
According to the bail petition, Rakib was innocent and had been implicated in the case to harass him. It stated that the motorcycle recovered in connection with the incident did not belong to him and that no stolen items had been recovered from his possession. The petition also alleged that he had been implicated due to a media trial.
According to the case statement, the victim, Ranjila Parveen, 56, was the headteacher of Bagbari Government Primary School in Gabtali upazila of Bogra.
On August 29, she was travelling with her husband Md Abdul Matin in an autorickshaw along Manik Mia Avenue at around 5:55am when motorcycle-riding snatchers allegedly grabbed and forcefully pulled her bag near Gate No 12 of the National Parliament House. She fell onto the road and sustained severe head injuries.
She was taken to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital and later referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, but doctors declared her dead.
Her husband subsequently filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.
On August 30, members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-2) arrested several suspects from different parts of the capital. They also seized a smartphone allegedly stolen during the incident, cash and a Yamaha R15 motorcycle suspected of being used in the crime.
On August 31, the court granted five days of remand for the accused.
