Staff Reporter :
A mobile court has sentenced Erfan Selim, a ward councillor and son of lawmaker Haji Selim, and his bodyguard Mohammad Zahid to one year imprisonment.
RAB spokesperson Lt Col Ashique Billah informed the matter at a press conference on Monday evening.
Earlier, the members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), led by executive magistrate Sarwar Alam, raided Erfan’s house and seized 40 walkie talkies, three VPS sets, a pistol, a one-barrel gun, a briefcase, one handcuff, a drone and seven bottles of foreign liquor and bear.
Ashique Billah said the duo (Erfan and Zahid) have been awarded six months’ imprisonment for possessing illegal alcohol and walkie-talkies.
“An unlicensed firearm, 5 to 6 liters of foreign liquor and 10 cans of foreign beer have been seized from Erfan, while a firearm and 400 pieces of yaba were seized from Zahid,” he added.
Lt Col Ashique Billah also said that about 40 walkie-talkies were seized from the house, including a station. During primary interrogation, the detainees said they were used for business purposes. We came to know from various sources that they were used for extortion.
RAB said the VPS sets were recovered from Erfan’s control room on 3rd and 4th floors of the house.
During interrogation, Erfan told RAB that he used to keep contact with followers within a radius of 5-12 km of his house through the walkie talkies.
RAB are going to file two cases, one over the firearms and the other over the alcohol.
Executive Magistrate Sarwar Alam said Erfan could not give any satisfactory answer of possessing arms and the handcuff. He was possessing arms without license, said Alam.
RAB conducted the raid at Erfan’s residence in Old Dhaka after Lieutenant Wasif Ahmad, an officer of the navy, filed an assault case against Erfan on Sunday night.
RAB started the raid at around 12:30pm on Monday, after the accused were located.
Earlier on Sunday night, a video of Lieutenant Wasif Ahmad screaming for justice before the public after being assaulted by Erfan, his bodyguard, driver, and a few accomplices went viral on social media.
The attack took place at the Kalabagan bus stop area around 7:45pm on Sunday, when the military officer protested after his motorcycle was hit by Erfan’s car, which had a parliament sticker.
Later, a case was filed with Dhanmondi police station accusing four people – Erfan Selim, AB Siddique Dipu, Mohammad Zahid, and driver Mizanur Rahman – over the incident.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court placed lawmaker Haji Mohammad Salim’s car driver Mizanur Rahman on one-day remand in a case filed for attacking Lieutenant Wasif Ahmed Khan.
