Dhanmondi police pressed charges against arrested BNP leader and former communications minister Nazmul Huda and ex-BNP lawmaker Salahuddin Ahmed and his son in separate cases the same day.

Investigation officer (IO) produced Babar before the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka, with a prayer for five days' fresh remand to quiz him about the source of an illegal firearm that was recovered from his possession during his arrest.

Defence lawyers submitted a petition seeking cancellation of the remand prayer. They argued Babar need not be remanded again, as the firearms and ammunition have already been seized from his possession.

After hearing the arguments, Metropolitan Magistrate Jagannath Das Khokon granted a three-day remand for Babar.

The former state minister was earlier remanded for eight days--four days under Emergency Power Rules and four days in the arms case. He was arrested in the third round of government crackdown on high profile graft suspects on May 28.

During his arrest, the joint forces recovered four firearms--a shotgun, a rifle, a pistol, a Brazil-made revolver--two magazines, and 297 bullets from his (Babar) Gulshan residence. He, however, could not show any document for the revolver he was possessing.

During interrogation by the Task Force for Interrogation (TFI), Babar has already divulged stunning information about corruption by different BNP leaders and ministers including himself and Tarique Rahman. Babar said that with the consent of immediate past premier Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique, he reached a Tk 100 crore deal not to implicate Bashundhara group Chairman's son Safait Sobhan in the murder case of Bashundhara telecommunications director Humayun Kabir Sabbir who was killed on July 4 last year.

He also admitted that he took Tk 20 crore of the agreed amount that the joint forcers later recovered and deposited to the government exchequer. Babar also admitted that during the tenure of BNP-Jamaat alliance government 80 percent appointments in the police department were made in exchange for money while the rest appointed in the department were party members.

LITU DETAINED
The same court sent Bengal Group Chairman Abul Khair Litu to Dhaka Central Jail yesterday on 30 days detention after he was produced before it on expiry of a three-day remand.

A Dhaka court placed the businessman on the three-day remand on June 4. He was placed before the court a day after he was arrested from Gulshan area.

CHARGESHEET AGAINST HUDA, SALAHUDDIN
Dhanmondi police yesterday pressed charges against former communications minister Nazmul Huda in the criminal case filed against him for using a fake registration number for his sport utility vehicle (SUV).

Sub-Inspector Kazi Amirul Islam, who is also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the CMM's Court, Dhaka.

On February 25, police seized Huda's luxurious Cadillac Escalade bearing registration number Dhaka Metro Gha 11-9999 and filed a case against him with Dhanmondi Police Station on March 1.

Meanwhile, SI Mainul Islam of the same police station pressed charges against Salahuddin Ahmed and his son Imran Ahmed in a cheating case.

Mainul Islam, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the CMM's Court yesterday.

Saiful Islam, deputy director of Amin Mohammad Group, filed a fraud case with Dhanmondi Police Station against former BNP lawmaker from Demra Salahuddin Ahmed and his son Imran.

In the case, the complainant said Salahuddin and his son forced him to sign the ownership document of a flat on November 10, 2003 paying only Tk 5 lakh against the actual price of over Tk 35.66 lakh.