Hearing on charge framing of an arms case against detained former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar will be held on Monday.

REDWAN REMANDED
Uttara police produced Redwan before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Shafique Anwar at about 2.50pm and sought a ten-day remand for interrogation.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Uttara Police Station Bazlur Rashid placed a forwarding report where he said Redwan had amassed a huge amount of money through corruption while he was the state minister.

Moreover, he was trying to stand against the present government after his name was included on the list of top graft suspects. So, he needs to be quizzed to find out the source of his income and whereabouts of his accomplices, said the investigation officer (IO) of the case.

Opposing the prosecution plea, the defence lawyers submitted a petition seeking cancellation of the remand prayer.

After hearing both the sides, the court rejected the defence petition and placed Redwan on a four-day remand.

The army-led joint forces on Tuesday night arrested Redwan from the city's Baridhara area.

Sources in the forces said they picked up Redwan soon after he came out of LDP leader Col (retd) Oli Ahmed's press briefing at 9:30pm.

He joined the BNP in 1991. Before that, he was involved in Jatiya Party politics.

Redwan held different portfolios as a state minister during the immediate past government's rule and left BNP to be with the LDP on the last day of the tenure.

PINTU CHARGESHEETED
Lalbagh police yesterday pressed charges against Pintu and eight others in an attempted murder case filed in December last year.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Shariful Islam, also the IO, submitted the charge sheet to the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM's), Dhaka showing 13 people as prosecution witnesses.

Pintu's other accomplices are Shahin, Jasim, Mohammad Ullah Palash, Shiplu, Hasu, Ali Hossain, Khokan alias Roxy Khokan and Kala Alamgir.

According to the prosecution, a group of Jubo Dal and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leaders and activists led by Pintu attacked the activists of Jubo League when they were pasting posters in favour of Awami League (AL) leader Haji Selim on the wall at Palasi crossing at around 11:30am on December 29 last year.

Pintu along with his four bodyguards picked up Jubo League leader Sarwar Hossain Tipu from the spot and injured him by ruthlessly beating with a firearm.

Following the information, law enforcement agencies including Rapid Action Battalion rescued the victim. The next day, an AL activist Erfan filed an attempted murder case with Lalbagh Police Station against Pintu and eight others.

BABAR CASE
A Dhaka court yesterday fixed Monday for hearing on charge framing against Babar in connection with a case filed for possessing illegal firearms and ammunition at his residence.

Judge Sayed Jahed Mansur of the Metropolitan Special Tribunal-9 set the date and directed the jail authorities to produce Babar before the court on that date.

SI Helal Uddin of Gulshan Police Station filed the case against Babar on June 3 under the Arms Act.

UNB adds: A special judge's court yesterday framed charges against Awami Swechchhasebak League General Secretary Pankaj Debnath and his wife in a graft case.

Detained Pankaj, standing in the dock, pleaded not guilty and sought justice when Judge M Firoze Alam read out the charges. The trial of the case will start on July 1.

Earlier, the court had rejected the defence plea for discharging the case.

Pankaj'a wife Monica will be tried in absentia, as she remains fugitive.

Pankaj and his wife are accused of concealing information in their wealth statement submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission.