‘Ex-Rab official raped wife of detainee’

The ICT prosecution yesterday said former Rab officer Alep Uddin raped a university student by threatening to kill her detained husband.

While serving in the Rapid Action Battalion in Narayanganj in 2018, Alep, an additional superintendent of police, called the woman to his office during the month of Ramadan and threatened to execute her husband by "crossfire", Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam told the International Crimes Tribunal.

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"Later, Alep forcibly took her to the officers' mess near his office, forced her to break her fast, and raped her multiple times. The victim, a public university student, later became mentally ill after the ordeal."

Alep, who was arrested on November 14 last year, is being investigated for his alleged involvement in enforced disappearances, torture, and rape.

Tajul appealed for a three-month extension on the investigation report and also prayed that the prosecution be allowed to interrogate Alep for a day.

After the hearing, the three-member ICT tribunal, led by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, granted the prosecution permission to interrogate Alep on February 26 from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

The tribunal also extended the deadline for submission of the probe report against Alep to May 28.

Besides, the tribunal extended the date for submission of a probe report in a case filed against former Rab company commander Mohiuddin Faruqui on charges of enforced disappearance and torture to May 28 after the prosecution filed an application seeking the extension.

Meanwhile, the tribunal yesterday granted the ICT's investigation agency to interrogate former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah-Al Mamun about the role of law enforcement agencies in the July atrocities.

The prosecution was given permission to quiz him on February 23 after it filed an application in this regard.

Mamun, who was the police chief during the July uprising, is accused in a case filed over crimes against humanity.

Some 23 former police and army officers, including ex-army officer Ziaul Ahsan, are accused in the case.

The court also extended the deadline for submission of the probe report in the case to April 28.