Groom fined Tk 50k for hiring chopper to evade lockdown

A mobile court on Monday fined a person Tk 50,000 for violating the government's health safety guidelines by carrying a bride in a helicopter in Shariapur.

Locals said Sagar Ahmed, 26, of South Bhasan Char village in Sariatpur Sadar upazila, tied the knot with Kawnan Khandaker Bonna, 23, of Ibrahimpur village in Brahmanbaria's Nabinagar upazila, on Friday.

Due to the lockdown in different districts surrounding the capital, the groom's family could not bring the bride home by road.

That is why they decided to bring the bride to the groom's house by helicopter.

To materialise their plan, the groom's family rented a helicopter with Tk 1.20 lakh.

The news spread and several hundred curious people gathered in Notunhat area of South Bhasan Char village where the helicopter landed around 11:00am on Monday.

A palanquin and a wedding band party were also arranged to celebrate the festivity, said locals.

Mondip Ghorai, Shariatpur Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), said, "The government has imposed restrictions on public gatherings. But the incident has created large public gatherings that posed the risk of quick transmission of coronavirus."

It is a violation of the government's rules. That is why, the groom's uncle Abdus Salam Sardar was fined Tk 50,000, said the UNO, who led the mobile court.

Contacted, Abdus Salam Sardar, however, claimed that they wanted to complete the marriage procedure on a limited scale.

They did not invite the villagers, who gathered at the spot from their curiosity, he added.