Tinni murder trial begins after nine years

After nine years, trial of model Syeda Tania Mahbub Tinni murder case began with deposition of her father with a Dhaka court yesterday.
Judge Fatema Najeeb of the Seventh Additional District and Sessions Judge's Court recorded part of the statement of her father Syed Mahbub Karim and set May 11 to record his rest of the statement.
The trial against the lone accused Golam Faruq Ovi, a former student leader and Jatiya Party MP, began in his absence.
Mahbub gave his deposition saying how his daughter had been missing and came to know where her body buried without their knowledge.
On Nov 10, 2002, police recovered Tinni's body from under China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge over the Buriganga River and a case was filed with Keraniganj Police Station on the same day.
Following the incident, SI Shafiuddin of the police station on different dates arrested Tinni's ex-husband Shafakat Ahmed Pial, Swapan Gazi, Gazi Sharifullah Tapan, Shafiqul Islam Jewel and Somnath Saha Bappy.
But the Criminal Investigation Department on November 8 of 2008, pressed charge against Ovi and dropped the names of Pial and others as the charges brought against them were not proved.
The charge sheet said Ovi allegedly killed Tinni to hide his “illicit relationship” adding that he was in Canada.
Following the charge sheet, the court issued an arrest warrant against Ovi asking him to appear before it on different dates, but Ovi did not comply with the court order.