Bangladeshi Deported from KL: Now in jail in 2 arms cases

The Bangladeshi businessman deported by the Malaysian authorities early this month was accused in two arms cases around 11 years back.

Piyar Ahmed Akash was made an accused in the cases filed with Feni Sadar Police Station and Sudharam Police Station in Noakhali in 2005 for stealing two AK-47 rifles from 10 truckloads of sophisticated weapons seized in Chittagong on April 2, 2004.

Akash from Nayanpur village of Dagon Bhuiyan upazila in Feni was arrested by law enforcers with an AK-47 rifle on September 18, 2005. Later, he came out of prison on bail and fled to Malaysia in 2007.

READ ALSO: Terror Link: KL deports Bangladeshi

Aslam Uddin, officer-in-charge of Dagon Bhuiyan Police Station, said Malaysian law enforcers detained Akash on August 19, and he was deported to Bangladesh on September 2.

“We arrested him with the help of law enforcers at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and brought him to the police station the following day,” Aslam told The Daily Star.

On September 4, Akash was produced before a Feni Special Tribunal, which sent him to jail in connection with the arms cases, reports a correspondent from Feni, quoting the OC.

Akash's uncle Abdul Quader claimed Akash had been implicated in the arms cases as part of a conspiracy.

After passing the SSC exams, Akash enrolled in MES College in Chittagong and later studied at Chittagong College. He also owned a shop “Akash Telecom” in Mahipal area of Feni, according to Quader.

Akash later travelled to Malaysia and opened a restaurant “Rasana Bilash” with another Bangladeshi, added his uncle.

Police said Akash got involved with Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, while studying at Shaheen Academy.

Though the 37-year-old businessman was deported on September 2, the incident came to light on Thursday after Malaysian daily The Star ran a report on his arrest along with three foreigners and a local man.

Referring to a statement of Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, the newspaper said, “He was placed in Interpol's Red Notice and was deported on September 2.”

Three others arrested in the special operation included a 38-year-old Nepalese businessman, a 26-year-old Moroccan man and a 34-year-old Malaysian man.

Quoting sources, the newspaper yesterday reported, “A Bangladeshi man, who was among the four arrested for terror links, had met the suspect involved in an attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh, two months ago.”

Sources revealed that the 37-year-old businessman used his restaurant in Bukit Bintang to meet “terrorist” Andaleeb Ahmed, who was involved in the July 1 terror attack on Holey Artisan Café in Dhaka where 21 hostages were killed, it added.

On condition of anonymity, an investigator in the Gulshan café attack case said they were yet to find involvement of any man named Andaleeb Ahmed in the incident.

The Malaysian newspaper said, “Andaleeb was linked to Monash University here, having been in Malaysia from 2012 to 2015 and later in Istanbul.”

Ashraf Uddain Ahmed Chunnu, father of Andaleeb Ahmed, refuted the claim that his son was involved in the Gulshan café attack or militancy.

“Over the last 10 months, my son has been helping me out with my business. He regularly goes to the office,” Chunnu, a former star footballer, told The Daily Star.

He said his son studied at Monash University.

Asked why Andaleeb went to Turkey, Chunnu said Andaleeb had obtained US visa and decided to go to the US without informing them, as he couldn't do well in his last semester at Monash University.

On his way to the US, he made a stopover in Istanbul and spent a couple of days there. He then changed his mind and returned home on December 21 last year, said Chunnu, technical adviser to Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club's football committee.

“I am embarrassed and upset particularly because my son was once mistakenly identified as one of the dead attackers at Holey Artisan. Now his name is again cropping up in the media as a suspect in the Gulshan attack,” he said.