Father held for going into hiding with Japanese daughter

Bangladesh-born US citizen Imran Sharif was held after he allegedly went into hiding with his nine-year-old daughter ignoring a court order which granted the child's mother the custody of two children.

The Rapid Action Battalion traced Imran with his daughter in Kalachandpur of Gulshan early today after the Japanese mother Eriko Nakano filed a general dairy with Gulshan Police Station. Rab later handed them over to Gulshan Police Station.

Police later sent the girl to the Victim Support Centre, Shahnur Rahman, inspector (investigation) of the police station told The Daily Star.

Gulshan Assistant Commissioner Newton Das told The Daily Star that the daughter wished to stay with her father while her mother wanted to take her away.

"As the matter was not settled, we sent the child to Victim Support Centre. The court will decide on this," he said.

On Sunday, a Dhaka family court granted Japanese citizen Eriko Nakano custody of her two children -- Nakano Jasmine Malika, 11, and Nakano Laila Lina, 9.

The court said it reached the decision, considering the well-being of the children. The same court also dismissed the case filed by Imran Sharif in February last year, seeking the custody of the children.

In her general diary, Eriko Nakano said she could not contact her younger daughter, who was staying with her father at his Gulshan residence before the court ruling, despite making several attempts. She said her mail to Imran got no reply.

Moreover, she claimed that the father and daughter weren't living in the house for the last two weeks.

Rab's Legal and Media Wing Director Commander Khandaker Al Moin told media that they had to intervene as the father went into hiding, defying the court order, without handing over the younger child to the mother.

In 2008, Eriko married Imran in Japan.

In 2021, he filed a divorce petition with a Japanese court, following which Imran took two of their daughters with him and came to Bangladesh.

Eriko too came to Bangladesh and filed a petition with the apex court for the custody of the children.