Ashiyan Group Chairman Md Nazrul Islam Bhuiyan has secured bail after surrendering before a Dhaka court in a case filed by model and actor Snigdha Chowdhury, who accused him of assault, attempted murder, and torture.
Nazrul surrendered before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam on Monday and sought bail. His lawyer, Advocate Arafat Mustafa, moved the bail petition.
After a hearing, the court granted him bail on a Tk50,000 bond until the submission of the medical report, said Sub-Inspector Tarikul Islam of the prosecution division.
According to the case statement, a man identified as Imon signed an agreement worth Tk16 lakh with Snigdha around 4pm on July 24 to appoint her as the brand ambassador of Ashiyan Group.
Later that evening, around 8pm, Snigdha went with her mother to Ashiyan Medical College in the 300 Feet area under Khilkhet Police Station to meet Nazrul. As guests were present at the residence, her mother left in the car.
The complaint alleged that after her mother left, Nazrul told Snigdha, “I have been looking for you for the last six months. You bought curtains for another man's house with my money.”
Snigdha said she tried to explain that he had mistaken her identity. The complaint also alleged that Imon signalled her to accept Nazrul’s claims.
The complaint further alleged that Nazrul took out a shotgun and threatened to shoot her. It claimed that he then tied her hands and feet, threw her onto a sofa, grabbed her by the throat, and beat her with a stick 50 to 60 times before dragging her by the hair and throwing her onto the floor.
It also alleged that Nazrul instructed his personal secretary to force her to drink coffee. When she refused, hot coffee was allegedly thrown on her face. The complaint further claimed that he threatened to disfigure her face with scissors.
According to the complaint, when Snigdha asked why he was doing this, Nazrul allegedly replied, “You are Zeba Takiya.” She denied the allegation, but he allegedly refused to believe her and accused her of taking Tk1.5 crore and living with another man.
The complaint further alleged that Snigdha was assaulted for around two hours, kicked off a sofa, and forcibly made to drink alcohol mixed with a medicinal substance.
It stated that when Nazrul went to another room, Snigdha escaped by jumping from the first-floor balcony at around 11:30pm and returned home.
According to the complaint, Snigdha remained unconscious for a day after the incident and received treatment at Kurmitola General Hospital on July 26. She later filed the case after consulting her relatives.
