Arrest warrant issued against complainant

A Dhaka court yesterday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Runa, who filed a “false” case against a Barishal businessman claiming him as her husband and accusing him of torturing her for dowry. 

Judge Tabassum Islam of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-4 of Dhaka passed the order, after the lawyer for accused Sazzadul Haque pleaded her to produce Runa and her lawyer before the court.

Neither Runa nor her lawyer was present at the tribunal during hearing yesterday.

The judge also directed the officer-in-charge of Keraniganj Police Station to produce Runa before it during the next hearing of the case on June 25.

Runa, 26, of Arshinagar in Dhaka’s Keraniganj lodged the complaint with the tribunal on March 11 claiming that Sazzad married her in 2015 and used to torture her for dowry.

The tribunal also issued an arrest warrant against Sazzadul.

Sazzadul came to know of it after Barishal Kotwali police arrested him on April 15, complying with the arrest warrant.

A Barishal court sent him to jail the next day where he had to languish for eight days.

Sazzadul claimed that he did not marry Runa and the marriage certificate submitted to the tribunal was false.

Following his claims, The Daily Star investigated the matter and came to know the marriage certificate was fake. Even Md Khairul Amin, who was mentioned in the case statement as the lawyer for Runa, claimed that he did not file the case and someone may have misused his seal and signature to file the case.

The tribunal yesterday also issued a show-cause to Khairul asking why he was not present at the tribunal, and asked court authorities to issue a notice to the address of the lawyer asking him to remain present at the tribunal in the next hearing on June 25.

The judge also granted permanent bail to Sazzadul, executive director of Barishal-based Zam-Zam Nursing Institute.