Assault on Navy Official: Erfan, his bodyguard denied bail

A Dhaka court yesterday sent Mohammad Erfan Salim and his bodyguard Zahidul Mollah to jail after rejecting their bail prayers in a case filed over the assault on navy official Lt Wasif Ahmed Khan.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ziaur Rahman passed the order after Mobinul Haque, a sub-inspector of Detective Branch (DB) of police and also the case's investigation officer (IO), produced the duo before the court on completion of their five-day remand in two phases.

In yesterday's forwarding report, the IO said Erfan, son of Dhaka-7 lawmaker Haji Salim, gave important information about the incident and that the information was being verified.

So, he appealed to the court to keep them in jail until the investigation was over.

The defence, however, submitted a petition seeking bail in the case, claiming that the two were being framed as part of a conspiracy to harass them.

Upon hearing both the sides, the magistrate turned down their bail petitions and sent them to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.

On Tuesday, another accused AB Siddique Dipu, one of Erfan's associates, was sent to jail on completion of his remand in the same case.

Four other cases -- two against Erfan and other two against Zahid -- under the arms and narcotics control acts have been lodged with Chawkbazar Police Station.

Lt Wasif filed the case with Dhanmondi Police Station on October 26 against four named and three unnamed accused over the assault on him.

According to the statement of the case, a vehicle, with number 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 signal, Lt Wasif knocked on the car's window and introduced himself. After that, all passengers got off the vehicle and started hurling abuse and assaulted Lt Wasif.

Following a drive, Erfan and Zahidul were sentenced to one year in prison each for illegally possessing walkie-talkies and foreign liquor after their arrest on October 26.

Rab Executive Magistrate Sarwoer Alam handed six months' imprisonment to them for keeping the radio transceivers illegally and the other six months for illegal liquor possession.