Papia, husband indicted in arms case

A Dhaka court has framed charges against expelled Jubo Mohila League leader Shamima Nur Papia and her husband Mofizur Rahman Sumon in an arms case filed with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station.

The defence counsel had filed discharge petitions for their clients. However, the Dhaka Special Tribunal-1, Judge KM Imrul Kayesh rejected the petitions and framed the charges in presence of the accused.

The tribunal also set August 31 for recording deposition of witnesses in the case.

Additional Public Prosecutor Tapash Kumar Paul confirmed the matter, saying that Papia and her husband claimed themselves innocent and sought justice when he read out the charges in front of them.

On June 29, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) 1 Sub-inspector Md Arifuzzaman, also investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted a 35-page charge sheet against the couple to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka.

Also Read- Charge sheet filed against Papia, husband in arms case

On February 22, Papia, her husband Mofizur Rahman Sumon, and their associates Sabbir Khandaker and Sheikh Taiyaba Nur were detained by RAB with fake currencies of various countries from Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

RAB recovered seven passports, around Tk2.12 lakh in cash, and a huge amount of fake currencies of different countries from their possession during the arrest.

In separate raids on February 23, the elite force also recovered one foreign-made pistol, two magazines, 20 bullets, five bottles of foreign liquor, five passports, three cheque books, some foreign currencies and 10 bank cards from Papia’s residences.

The raids were conducted on two flats and a rented presidential suite at a five-star hotel in Dhaka, seizing items belonging to Papia and her husband Mofizur Rahman.

Three cases were filed against them --- two under the Arms Act and Narcotics Control Act at the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station, and the third for carrying counterfeit currency at the Airport police station.