The sensational Banani rape case raised eyebrows of different circles as separate agencies, apart from the police, launched probes to dig out any illegal financial activities of Apan Jewellers and Raintree Hotel, the place of occurrence.
When the law enforcement agencies have started working on unearthing the mystery behind the incident, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, Department of Narcotics Control, RAJUK and other authorities also stepped in to find clues to any financial crimes.
CIID on Monday claimed to have found enough evidence about the involvement of owners of Apan Jewellers in gold and diamond smuggling. The Directorate also seized a huge quantity of gold from five outlets of Apan, which has sent a wave of panic among the country’s jewelry businessmen.
It is a billion dollar question why CIID had remained mum earlier when tonnes of gold bars were smuggled into the country through airports and other channels. It had said several times that major quantity of smuggled gold was consumed in the domestic jewellry industry. Why it did not take any step in this regard at that time?
As there was no gold import in the last five years for excessive duties, it was the CIID’s task to see how the jewellry industry flourished in the country.
RAJUK authorities claimed that the four-star Raintree is operating illegally without having permission as a commercial entity in a residential area. For that reason, it has cut off gas, power and water supplies to the hotel, which is owned by Awami League MP Bazlul Haque Haroon’s four sons including Mahir Haroon. MP Haroon is the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Religious Affairs Ministry. Questions are there why RAJUK did not take any action earlier if the hotel had not taken permission?
The Department of Narcotics Control [DNC] suddenly conducted a raid at the Raintree hotel, but did not get anything. The DNC is widely blamed for giving permission of mini bars and other doping centres in the city’s Banani, Gulshan and Baridhara areas in exchange for huge money.
Especially, the posting of DNC Gulshan Zone Inspector is so much lucrative that the aspirants sometimes offer crores of taka bribe to the senior authorities to get it. Was it out of DNC’s knowledge that a four star hotel could not run without serving alcohol to its customers? What action DNC will take against several hundred spots where alcohol and other drugs are on open sale in these areas?
Meanwhile, the statements of Shafat and other arrestees disclosed that the victims [two private university girls] were familiar to the accused rapists for a long time and they knew the attitudes of them. They had planned to pass the night in the hotel and also took selfies with Shafat and his friends. Significantly, they filed case after a month of the incident, which also raised questions.
Police still could not nab Nayeem Ashraf alias Hasan Md Abdul Halim, an accused in the Raintree Hotel rape, who is widely blamed not only by the victims and but also other arrestees for his ‘excessive arrogance’ on the night.
Police using the mobile phone tracking technology had spotted Nayeem at Jalalabad area in Sylhet two days ago. But the connection was detached soon after the arrest of his colleagues. He was absconding till the time of filing of this report on Tuesday evening.
Sources in the Police Department said he [Nayeem Ashraf] might have taken a chance to flee away to India through Sylhet border as separate teams of law enforcers failed to catch him despite repeated drives in different parts of the country in the last few days.
Police have got enough evidence that Nayeem, an event management businessman, worked as a ‘broker’ who used to supply girls, mostly emerging models and showbiz performers, to Shafat and his friends in exchange for a fat amount of money.
Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Masudur Rahman said: “Police are conducting drives to catch Nayeem. We hope, he will be captured soon.”
Earlier, all the five accused went to Sylhet after two victims filed a case under Women and Child Repression Act with the Banani Police Station on May 6.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of Police Headquarters picked up Shafat Ahmed, son of Apan Jewellers’ owner Dildar Ahmed Selim, and Sadman Shafiq, son of Regman Group’s Managing Director Mohammed Hossain Jony, from an expatriate’s residence in Sylhet on May 11.
Besides, Shafat’s driver Billal Hossain and bodyguard Rahmat Ali alias Abul Kalam Azad were arrested by RAB and DB on Monday night from Dhaka. , Sub Inspector of Court Police Abdul Mannan said: “Billal and Rahmat were remanded in police custody for four and three days respectively. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Laskar Sohel Rana passed the order on Tuesday after police sought ten days for interrogating them.” The arrested driver Billal, number 5 accused in the case, confessed to the police about capturing the video of rape incident on March 28 night taking position behind the false partition of the bathroom of the Raintree hotel suite.
Quoting the statement of driver, police sources said Safat asked him [Billal] to go to the suite and take position behind the false partition of the bathroom, from where he captured the video of victims.
At the same time, driver Billal disclosed to the police that the victims were forced to take drugs on the night by Shafat and his friends. Later, the video was also shot while they were taking Yaba and other drugs.
Police, however, did not find the video in Billal’s cellular phone. Police suspected that Billal deleted the videos. The mobile phone has been sent to forensic lab for test.
ICT experts of Police Department said that it is possible to recover the data and information even if those were deleted. “It is possible to recover the footage from the server or hard disk, even if it is deleted. We’ve the technology and the experts,” Sheikh Md Rezaul Haider, former Special Police Superintendent, Criminal investigation Department, said.
