Erfan, his bodyguard on fresh remand

Erfan Salim

A Dhaka court yesterday placed Erfan Salim and his bodyguard Zahidul Mollah on a fresh two-day remand each in a case filed over the assault and attempted murder of a Navy officer in the capital's Dhanmondi area.

After completion of a three-day remand, Mobinul Haque, sub-inspector of the Detective Branch of police, prayed for another five-day remand in the case filed with Dhanmondi Police Station.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ziaur Rahman granted two-day remand for each.

Dhaka-7 lawmaker Haji Salim's son Erfan, 37, suspended DSCC ward-30 councillor, and his bodyguard Zahidul, 35, were placed on a three-day remand each on October 28.

Navy officer Lt Wasif Ahmad filed the case with Dhanmondi Police Station naming four people.

The two other accused are AB Siddique Dipu, 45, protocol officer of Haji Salim's Madina Group, and Mizanur Rahman, 30, the driver of the car Erfan was in.

All four are now behind bars.

Mizanur was on a one-day remand and admitted his role in the assault, police said.

Dipu was placed on a fresh two-day remand on Saturday after completion of the previous three-day remand.

According to the case statement, a vehicle, with the plate "Dhaka Metro-Gha 11-5736", rear-ended his motorcycle in Dhanmondi area when he and his wife were returning to their Dhaka Cantonment home from Nilkhet around 7:45pm on October 25.

A man came out of the SUV and verbally abused them and left the spot. When the car stopped at a nearby traffic light, Wasif knocked on the car's window and introduced himself. At that, all the passengers got off the vehicle and started hurling abuse and assaulting him, the complainant said.

When his wife came to save him, they also assaulted her. They then abandoned the car and left the scene.

Some witnesses got the incident on video, which later went viral on social media. In the video, injured Wasif is seen describing the incident to bystanders.

Earlier, police said the incident was not recorded by any CCTV cameras in the vicinity but they have proof of the assault and that they would now look into the roles of the accused and to what extent they were individually involved.

On October 26, Erfan and his bodyguard Zahidul were sentenced to one year in prison for illegally possessing walkie-talkies and foreign liquor, after the Rapid Action Battalion, assisted by an executive magistrate, conducted a raid on Haji Salim's building -- "Chan Sarder Dada Bari" -- at Debidas Ghat Lane in the capital's Chawkbazar area.

Besides, four separate cases were filed against Erfan and Zahidul with Chawkbazar Police Station for carrying illegal firearms and possessing narcotics.

An officer at Chawkbazar Police Station told this correspondent that they have sought a 14-day remand each for Erfan and Zahidul. The hearing will be held on November 4.