Banani rape case accused driver and bodyguard apprehended

Published at 03:14 pm May 15th, 2017
Last updated at 06:59 pm May 15th, 2017

Banani rape case accused driver Billal Hossain and bodyguard Rahmat Ali have been captured from separate locations in Dhaka on Monday.

Driver Billal was detained by Rapid Action Battalion in Nawabpur area of Dhaka on Monday evening, confirmed RAB’s Legal and Media Wing Director Mufti Mahmud Khan.

Subsequently, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch captured Shafat’s bodyguard Rahmat in Gulshan 1 area around 7pm the same day.

RAB 10 Commanding Officer Jahangir Hossian Matubbar said: “Billal was detained from Ibrahim Hotel around 6pm after we received an anonymous tip-off.

“He was detained with the mobile phone that allegedly has the videos of the Banani rape. He was renting a room under a fake name of Sujon after having come to Dhaka from Sylhet where he was in hiding.

“He intended to surrender after seeking legal help from a lawyer.”

Speaking about the alleged rape video, the RAB CO said: “During the primary interrogation Billal denied having the alleged rape videos but did admit to having a video where the plaintiff’s friends were forced to stand in front of a table with yaba tablets and say they were drug dealers.

“However, he said he had deleted the video from his phone.”

Also Read- Customs intelligence raids Apan Jewellers outlet at Suvastu Tower

Commanding Officer Jahangir said they will try and retrieve the deleted data from Billal’s phone.

In another development, DB Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Najmul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune they have been the shadow investigators of the Banani rape case and came to learn from an anonymous tip about the location of Shafat’s bodyguard Rahmat in Gulshan 1.

“A DB team conducted a raid where they found and apprehended him,” he added.

Billal has been missing for more than a week since details of the rape emerged on news media.

On May 6, a rape case was filed with Banani police against Shafat Ahmed, 26, Nayeem Ashraf, 30, Sadman Sakif, 24, driver Billal, 26, and bodyguard Rahmat Ali.

[caption id="attachment_63578" align="aligncenter" width="800"]

Billal, the driver of Shafat Ahmed and one of theaccused in the Banani rape case
Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune[/caption] According to the case file, Shafat, the son of Dildar Ahmed, one of the owners of Apan Jewellers, and his friend Nayeem allegedly raped the two university students while Shafat’s bodyguard held the girls at gunpoint and Shafat’s driver Billal, 26, videotaped the incident. So far, police have also arrested accused Shafat and Shadman from Sylhet, with Nayeem Ashraf still absconding. The case was transferred to DMP’s Women Support and Investigation Centre, amid allegations of Banani police station’s inaction because the accused are from influential families.

Also Read- The Banani rape: How it all happened

Owners of Apan Jewellers and Raintree Hotels summoned

The Customs Intelligence and Investigation Department (CIID) summoned the owners of Apan Jewellers and Raintree Hotels on Monday.

They were asked to be present at the CIID headquarters in Kakrail on May 17, CIID Director General Dr Moinul Khan confirmed.

The CIID will interrogate about the jewellery and liquor seized on May 14.

CIID raided Apan Jewellers’ outlet at Suvastu Tower in Gulshan for the second time on Monday as they found it closed during its first raid in other outlets at Gulshan, Uttara, Mouchak and Simanto Square on May 14. The customs confiscated 286kg of gold and 61g of diamond as Apan Jewellers failed to provide necessary documents for the items on that day.

The second raid Apan Jewellers’ Suvastu Tower outlet was on progress at the time of filing this report.

The CIID suspects that Apan Jewellers has illegal gold and diamond businesses, as no diamond was imported legally in Bangladesh in the last five years.

[caption id="attachment_63584" align="aligncenter" width="795"]

Rahmat Ali, the bodyguard of Shafat Ahmed and one of the accused in the Banani rape case Bangla Tribune[/caption]

Also Read- Police arrest Shafaat, Shadman from Sylhet

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Jewellers’ Association strongly protested the closure of Apan Jewellers outlet through a press statement. The press statement said the closure of Apan Jewellers outlet would risk the survival of thousands of people involved with the business. It also said that Apan Jewellers has been running its business following all the rules and regulations of the government. The association also demanded to reopen the Apan Jewellers outlet in the press release. “They have been given time to submit the legal documents. If they fail to submit within the deadline, we will take legal actions against them,” the CIID DG said regarding the association’s demand. Recently, the CIID decided to start an inquiry into the finances of Apan Jewellers’ owner Dildar Ahmed and his son Shafaat Ahmed after it had emerged that Shafaat and four of his associates allegedly raped two university students at Banani’s Raintree Hotel on March 28.