No major negligence in handling complaint

A police investigation did not find any major fault of law enforcers in dealing with the complaint over the Banani double rape incident, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia yesterday said.

“However, we have found minor deviation from discharging duties,” he told reporters at his office.

Against the backdrop of allegations that police delayed registering the case and treated the rape victims improperly, DMP on Thursday formed a three-member committee headed by Additional Commissioner (Crime) Mizanur Rahman to probe the matter.

The committee handed its report to the commissioner yesterday.

Talking to The Daily Star, Mizanur said investigators recommended taking departmental action against Officer-in-Charge BM Farman Ali and Inspector Abdul Matin of Banani Police station for delay in registering the First Information Report.

The committee also recommends taking similar action against Additional Deputy Commissioner of Gulshan Division Manosh Kumar Poddar for not supervising the investigation into the rape case properly. 

Regarding the alleged delay of two days in taking the case, the DMP commissioner said police had to carry out a primary investigation as per law before filing the case.

One of the victims filed a case with Banani police against five men, including two alleged rapists --

Ahmed Shafat and Nayem Ashraf alias Halim -- on May 6.

Police refused to take the case on May 4 and 5 in the name of a primary investigation.

Interestingly, police refrained from quizzing any of the accused during their primary investigation.

Meanwhile, police have arrested all the accused. Of them, prime accused Shafat, his driver Billal Hossain, victims' friend Shadman Sakif gave confessional statements.

In the confessional statement, Shafat admitted that he and his friend Nayem raped the two university students on March 28 at hotel The Raintree Dhaka.

RAINTREE OWNER TO APPEAR IN CIID

The Raintree hotel owner will have to appear before the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate office today as the Supreme Court yesterday stayed a High Court order halting the summons order.

The CIID on May 13 recovered 10 bottles of liquor without licence from the hotel in Banani where two university girls had been allegedly raped. Besides, the CIID accused the hotel authorities of dodging around Tk 8 lakh VAT and asked the hotel owner, Shah Md Adnan Harun, to come up with an explanation on May 17. 

As two lawyers on behalf of the hotel owner sought more time saying that Adnan was sick, the CIID asked him to appear in its office today.