US citizen Enayet remanded again as defence questions repeated order for same incident
In support of the plea, the officer told the court that four people had been arrested based on Enayet’s information.
A Dhaka court has granted a five-day remand for the third time for Bangladeshi-origin US citizen Enayet Karim Chowdhury, accused under the Anti-Terrorism Act of working as a foreign agent to overthrow the interim government.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate GM Farhan Ishtiaq issued the order today (22 October) after a hearing.
Meanwhile, the defence lawyer asked why his client was being remanded again for the same incident.
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After completing two rounds of remand totalling seven days, police produced Enayet before the court.
The investigating officer, Inspector Md Akhter Morshed of the DMP Detective Branch, Ramna Zonal Team, sought an additional seven days of remand for further interrogation.
In support of the plea, the officer told the court that four people had been arrested based on Enayet's information.
"We are analysing and verifying the data and banking information collected so far," he said, adding that further interrogation was required to verify the newly found evidence.
State counsel Omar Faruk Faruqui supported the remand plea, saying, "Information regarding a plot to overthrow the current government has been found on the accused's mobile phone. There is preliminary evidence of money transactions through various banks."
Defence lawyer Shahinur Islam, however, appealed for bail and opposed the remand.
He told the court, "The accused has already been taken on seven days of remand in two phases. Why is he being remanded again for the same incident? No new information was revealed in the previous remands.
"The forwarding report mentions meetings with government officials, but their identities have not been disclosed, neither to us nor in the case documents. There is no basis for repeated remand on identical grounds."
After hearing both sides, the court denied Enayet bail and ordered five days of fresh remand.
According to the case statement, at around 10:30am on 13 September, Enayet was seen "moving suspiciously" in a Prado SUV near Minto Road. When police stopped his vehicle and questioned him, he reportedly failed to give a satisfactory answer.
Police took him into custody, also seizing two iPhones from him.
Later, a case was filed against him at Ramna Model Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Detectives have already interrogated Enayet for two rounds.
Following his detention, his associates SM Golam Mostafa Azad, Kazi Md Mamunur Rashid (secretary general of the Jatiyo Party's Raushan-led faction) and Rifatul Islam Pavel (joint secretary general of Jubo Sanghati) were also arrested and remanded for questioning.
According to the case documents, Enayet moved to the US in 1988 and obtained citizenship in 2004.
He allegedly arrived in Bangladesh on 6 September from New York, reportedly working as an agent of a foreign intelligence agency with the aim of overthrowing the country's interim government.
