Police seek 10-day remand for Wahed Mansion owner

Dhaka, April 04 – City’s Chawkbazar Police on Thursday sought a 10-day remand for quizzing two owners of the Wahed Mansion, the centre of devastating Chawkbazar fire, in a case filed about the death of 70 persons.
Officer-in-Charge (Investigation) of Chawkbazar Police Station Md Muradul Islam and also the Investigation Officer of the case submitted the remand prayer for questioning Md Hasan and Sohel alias Shahid, who are the sons of Haji Abdul Wahed.
The two brothers were sent to the jail on April 2 after they surrender in a Dhaka court seeking bail in the case.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Md Kaisarul Islam fixed April 8 for hearing on the remand prayer in presence of the accused. The court also directed the jail authorities to produce the two accused in the court on the scheduled date.
The fire that broke out at Chawkbazar of the Old city on February 20 that killed 70 persons and injured many others.
The fire could have been even more devastating had the flames came into contact with the huge stockpile of chemicals in the basement of Haji Wahed Mansion.
Haji Abdul Wahed, a former Commissioner of ward-64 of undivided Dhaka City Corporation, constructed the building 18 to 20 years ago, local people said.
Of his two sons, Hasan lives on the third floor of the four-storey building with his family members. Two other tenants live on this floor, which also accommodates a storeroom of perfume and lotion. Wahed’s other son, Sohel’s family lives on the second floor of the building.
Following the incident, Md Asif, son of Md Jummun, filed a case with Chawkbazar Police Station against the two accused, of the deaths of 70 persons, including his father in the fire.
His father Jummun was gossiping with his friend, owner of Madina Decorator, situated on the ground floor of the Wahed Mansion, when the fire broke out. – Special Correspondent