Expelled Jubo Mohila League leader Papia, her husband indicted in arms case

A tribunal in Dhaka today framed charges against Jubo Mohila League's expelled leader Shamima Nur Papia and her husband Mofizur Rahman in an arms case.

Papia and Mofizur, now in jail, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after Judge KM Emrul Kayesh of the Special Tribunal-1 read out the charges to them.

Previously, the tribunal rejected their bail petition submitted by their lawyer.

The tribunal fixed August 31 to start trial of the case.

On June 29, Rab Sub-Inspector Arifuzzaman, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet against the couple to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka.

In the charge sheet, the IO said a total of 12 people have been made witnesses, the charges brought against the couple were primarily proven and they should be brought under trial in this connection.

Rab-1 arrested Papia, her husband -- a former Chhatra League leader -- and their two accomplices Sabbir Khondaker, 29, and Sheikh Taiyaba, 22, from Dhaka's Hazrat  Shahjalal International Airport on February 22 when they were trying to leave the country.

The elite force members recovered seven passports, 2,12,270, fake notes worth Tk 25,600, $11,481, 420 Sri Lankan rupees, 301 Indian rupees and two debit cards from their possession.

Rab later raided Papia's flats in Farmgate and recovered a foreign-made pistol, two magazines, 20 bullets, five bottles of foreign-made liquor, Tk 58,41,000 cash, credit and debit cards of different banks.

Later, three cases were filed--two with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station under the Arms and the Special Powers Acts while another with Biman Bandar Police Station under the Special Powers Act- 1974.

Earlier on August 4, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case against Papia and her husband for amassing about Tk 6.24 crore illegally.