The police are saying that noted journalist Shafik Rehman has admitted during interrogation that he was present at a meeting in the US where a conspiracy was allegedly hatched to abduct and kill Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
DB Senior Assistant Commissioner Hassan Arafat told this to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. However, Arafat, also the officer investigating the case filed in connection with the allegations, said Shafik has not yet disclosed what issues had been discussed at that particular meeting.
Yesterday was the second day of the seven-day remand for the former Jaijaidin editor.
Arafat said the veteran journalist has been using different evasive tactics during questioning to protect himself.
The DB official said detectives have already collected documentary evidence about Shafik's presence in the meeting, where the alleged plotters – JaSaS leader Mohammad Ullah Mamun's son Rizve Ahmed Caesar, ex-FBI official Robert Lustyik, and Lustyik's friend Johannes Thaler – are believed to have conspired against Joy, the son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Meanwhile, the DB police yesterday sought a 10-day remand against Daily Amar Desh Editor Mahmudur Rahman in the same case filed for the abduction-murder scheme. IO Hassan Arafat submitted the prayer to the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Golam Nabi.
The IO also sought permission from the court to show Mahmudur arrested in the case. The court fixed April 25 for holding a hearing in this regard.
DB Deputy Commissioner Masrurqure Rahman Khaled said if the court places Mahmudur under remand, then Shafik and Mahmudur – who is already behind bars in an unrelated sedition case – would be interrogated together.
If necessary, detectives would interrogate all the suspects face-to-face to solve the case, Khaled said, adding that all the accused would be brought to book soon.
On Saturday, 81-year-old Shafik was arrested from his residence in Dhaka. Following his arrest, police claimed that the BNP-leaning journalist met with Caesar, Lustyik, and Thaler on January 29, 2012, to plot the abduction and murder of Joy.
Rizve, Lustyik and Thaler are currently serving jail sentences in the US in connection with a bribery scheme to dig up confidential information about Joy.
When Joy came to know about the matter, he passed on the information to Bangladesh Police. Later in 2015, police first filed a general diary and then filed a case with Paltan police station.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
