PM’s flight glitch: 7 Biman staff arrested, remanded

A Dhaka court placed seven officials of Biman Bangladesh Airlines on seven-day remand each in connection with the case filed over technical glitch of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s flight.

Meanwhile two other officials, who were absconding, surrendered before a local court this afternoon and were sent to jail following their pleas for bail.

Metropolitan Magistrate Snivdha Rani Chakrabari passed the order after investigation officer Mahbub Alam of Counter Terrorism And Translation Crime unit produced the arrestees before it with a 10-day remand prayer for each.

The nine suspended staff are: SM Rokonuzzaman, Samiul Haque, Lutfor Rahman, Milon Chandra Biswas, Zakir Hossain and Siddiqur Rahman of Biman’s engineering and technical department, Debesh Chowdhury, chief engineer (production), SA Siddique, chief engineer (quality assurance) and Billal Hossain, principal engineer.

Of them, engineer Rokonuzzaman and junior technician Siddiqur were absconding before they surrendered seeking bail. They were also produced before the court with a 10-day remand plea but the hearing was kept on waiting.

The Biman authorities filed the case with Airport Police Station Tuesday night against the nine staff.

Three enquiry committees have so far been formed following the incident -- one by the civil aviation ministry, one by Biman and another by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh.

Probes by all the three committees have found that the VVIP flight carrying the premier made the emergency landing at Ashgabat International Airport in Turkmenistan after a loose nut had caused leakage of engine oil lowering the oil pressure of engine No 1 of the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.