Staff Reporter :
Trial of the narcotics case filed against expelled Jubo Mohila League leader Shamima Nur Papia and her husband Mofizur Rahman Sumon began at a Dhaka tribunal on Monday with deposition of the complainant.
Judge Md Amirul Islam of the Special Tribunal-8 of Dhaka recorded the statement of Md Shafiqul Islam, a sub-inspector of Rapid Action Battalion-1.
The judge then set April 12 for cross-examination of the complainant on behalf of the couple.
In his statement, Shafique said that being informed from a reliable source, a team led by him along with a magistrate conducted a drive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and arrested Papia, her husband and their two accomplices at 12:40pm on February 22 last year when they were trying to leave the country.
“We recovered seven passports, Tk 2,12,270, fake notes worth Tk 25,600, US$11,481, 420 Sri Lankan rupees, 301 Indian rupees and two debit cards from their possession,” Shafique said.
“Later, we raided Papia’s flats in the capital’s Farmgate and recovered a foreign-made pistol, two magazines, 20 bullets, five bottles of foreign liquor, Tk 58,41,000 cash, credit and debit cards of different banks,” he said in his statement.
Later, two cases-one under the Arms Act and another under the Narcotics Control Acts-were filed with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station while another case was filed under Money Laundering Act with Gulshan Police Station.
On September 10 last year, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) pressed charges against the couple in the drugs case. The tribunal framed charges against the couple on January 12.
On October 12 last year, Papia and her husband were sentenced to 27 years’ rigorous imprisonment in an arms case.
