Plot to Kidnap Joy: Court accepts charges against five people

A Dhaka court yesterday accepted charges against Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman, journalist Shafik Rehman and three others in a case filed over plotting to kidnap and kill prime minister's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.

Earlier in the day, the same court cancelled the bail of Shafik and issued an arrest warrant for him as he was absent when his lawyer submitted a petition before the court.

His bail was valid until yesterday. 

In the petition, the lawyer said Shafik has travelled abroad for his wife's treatment and he could not appear before the court yesterday.

Mahmudur Rahman, now on a High Court bail, was present in the court.   

The court also issued arrest warrants for Mohammad Ullah Mamun, vice-president of Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha (Jasas), his son Rizvi Ahmed Caesar, and Mizanur Rahman Bhuiyan, an expat businessman living in the United States.

After accepting the charges, Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sarafuzzaman Ansari directed officer-in-charge of Paltan Police Station to submit the report on  execution of arrest warrants by            April 5.

On February 22, detectives pressed charges against Mahmudur Rahman, Shafik and three others for their alleged involvement in plotting to kidnap and kill Joy.

Police mentioned that Shafik and Mahmudur as the masterminds behind the “conspiracy to kidnap and kill PM's son Joy” in the charge sheet. Mamun aided and abetted, detectives said in the charge sheet.

Caesar collected information on Joy from the FBI and sent it to others accused in the charge sheet. The DB filed the case with Paltan Police Station in August 2015.

According to the case statement, Mamun and a number of top leaders of the BNP and its allies met in the UK, the US and various places in Bangladesh before September 2012 and conspired to abduct and kill Joy.

In March 2015, a US court convicted Caesar of bribing an FBI special agent to collect information on a Bangladeshi political figure.

The US justice department did not name the politician, but it is believed to be Joy.

In a Facebook post on March 9 last year, Joy, also the ICT affairs adviser to the prime minister, accused the BNP leaders of conspiring to abduct and kill him.

Shafik, a British citizen, has worked in various media outlets including the BBC. He came to the limelight after becoming the editor of the weekly Jai Jai Din in the 80's.