17 foreigners held

Police arrested 17 foreign nationals of different countries from the capital's Uttara early yesterday on charges of staying illegally in the country and possessing liquor and fake currencies.
A Bangladeshi was also arrested for aiding them.
The detained foreigners are Cameroon's Boby, 35, Billi-P, 35, Ngo, 32, Monique, 36, William, 32, Itoulou Mdise, 35, Tehosso Roger, 35, and Akounol Marie, 35, Congo's Dipanda, 46, and Makondo, 29, Guinea's Aly, 35, Emilie, 30, Aziz Karim, 39, Trobza Carios, 32, and Mesacancos, 38, and French nationals Keita Usman, 40, and Ibrahim Sharif. The Bangladeshi is Dadan Miah of Shariatpur.
Khandakar Rezaul Hasan, officer-in-charge of Uttara Police Station, told The Daily Star that a team of Uttara police caught them after raiding a flat in Uttara Sector No. 12 around 4:00am.
The OC said two separate cases were filed in this connection. One case was filed against the 17 foreigners for staying in Bangladesh without passports and another for possessing illegal drugs and fake currencies.
Sub-Inspector Abdur Rahim, who is also the investigation officer of both cases, said eight fake notes of US$ 1000, nine of US$ 100 and 11 fake notes of 100 Euro were recovered from their possession.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court sent all 18 arrestees to jail after police produced them before it seeking seven-day remand for each. The court fixed March 17 for hearing on the remand prayer.