Dhaka, Oct 26 – A mobile court of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on Monday sentenced Irfan Selim, son of Dhaka-7 MP Haji Selim, and his bodyguard Zahid to one year in jail for possessing illegal walkie-talkies and drinking liquor.
Rab members along with Executive Magistrate Sarwar Alam raided the nine-storey building of Haji Selim at around noon. The drive continued till 6:45pm.
Briefing reporters in the evening, Lt Col Ashique Billah said Irfan and his bodyguard Zahid were given six months jail each for drinking wine and another six months for the illegal possession of walkie-talkies.
Two separate cases will be filed at the local police station — one under the Arms Act and another under Narcotics Control Act — against the duo, he said.
Two firearms, 38 walkie-talkies and liquor were recovered from the house during the drive, he said.
A Rab official said Irfan has been living on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building. A pair of handcuffs were also recovered during the raid.
Irfan’s arrest
Rab detained Irfan from his father’s residence at Devdas Lane of Swarighat in Old Dhaka in the city in the afternoon on charge of “attacking” Lieutenant Wasif Ahmed Khan of Bangladesh Navy.
Lt Col Billah said a Rab team conducted a drive in the house and arrested him in the afternoon with his bodyguard.
Irfan is also the councillor of ward-30 of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
On Sunday night, he was accused of ‘assaulting’ a navy official.
Lt Wasif filed the case at Dhanmondi Police Station naming four people and several unnamed accused.
The three other accused are — AB Siddique Dipu, 45, Md Zahid, 35, and Md Mizanur Rahman, 30.
What happened Sunday night?
According to the case statement, a private car hit Lt Wasif’s motorcycle near Labaid Hospital at Dhanmondi around 7:45pm when he and his wife were returning to their Mohammadpur residence from Nilkhet.
Later, some people came out of the car and physically assaulted the navy official and verbally abused his wife.
Md Ikram Ali Mia, officer-in-charge of the police station, said the driver of the car, Mizanur, was detained from the spot and shown arrested in the case.
A Dhaka court on Monday placed Mizanur, driver of Haji Selim, on one-day remand in the case.
Criminals will be punished’
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Monday said that those who are involved in the crimes will be brought to book irrespective of their identities.
“If anyone commits a crime, he/she will be brought under law, no matter who the person is,” he told reporters at his Dhanmondi residence when they sought comment about the attack on Lt Wasif. – UNB
