Shafaat had round-the-clock personal security

Published at 08:46 am May 10th, 2017
Last updated at 12:20 pm May 10th, 2017

Before fleeing Dhaka following a rape accusation, Shafaat Ahmed, son of Apan Jewellers owner Dildar Ahmed, moved around guarded by armed bodyguards all the time. A photo of Shafaat surrounded by his bodyguards became viral on the social media platform, Facebook, on Wednesday. In the photo, Shafaat is seen wearing panjabi and posing with his friend Shadman Sakif, who is also an accused in the same rape case, with the bodyguards in the back. It is not however unusual for wealthy businessmen and their family to have round-the-clock personal security in Dhaka after police clearance.

Also Read- Shafaat spotted in Sylhet, police say he fled with his passport

On Saturday, a case was filed with Banani police against Shafaat Ahmed, 26, Nayeem Ashraf, 30, Sadman Sakif, 24, and Billal, 26, for the alleged rape of two young women at the Raintree Hotel in Banani after a birthday party on March 28. According to the case file, Shafaat, the son of Dildar Ahmed, one of the owners of Apan Jewellers, and his friend Nayeem allegedly raped the two university students while Shafaat’s bodyguard held the girls at gunpoint and Shafaat’s driver Billal, 26, videotaped the incident. It has been more than 72 hours since the rape case had been filed against the four, but police have yet to arrest anyone.

Also Read- Rape accused and passport missing from Gulshan home

Police on Tuesday finally went to the house of Shafaat Ahmed to find that he and his passport were missing, three days after the rape case was filed with Banani police. On Monday Shafaat and three other men – presumably Nayeem, Shadman and driver Billal – were spotted at the Regent Park Resort in Thakurbari Thillapara in Sylhet. They were denied a room at the resort that they tried to rent for Tk20,000 as they had no forms of identification on them and were not carrying any overnight bags. They quickly left the resort when the on-duty officials at the resort recongnised them. In the meantime, Victim Support Centre received the documents of the case on Wednesday morning.