Bangabhaban employee granted bail in case over hacking of Jamaat chief's X account

A Dhaka court has granted bail to Mohammad Sarwar-e-Alam, an assistant programmer at Bangabhaban, in a case filed under the Cyber Security Ordinance Act over the hacking of the X account of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman.

After a hearing today (5 February), Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Awlad Hossain Mohammad Junaid granted him bail on a bond of Tk5,000.

Lawyer for the complainant, Md Abdur Razzaque, confirmed the matter saying, "We are aggrieved by this order. Our team will sit and decide on the next steps regarding the bail."

Earlier, Sub-Inspector Khandaker Saleh Abu Nayeem of Hatirjheel Police Station produced the accused before the court and sought an order to keep him in jail.

In the application submitted to the court, the investigation officer said that, in the interest of the probe and after consulting higher authorities, the accused had been kept in DB custody.

Preliminary interrogation found initial evidence supporting the allegations, while the digital devices allegedly used in the offence are undergoing forensic examination. Identity verification and further investigation are ongoing, and jail custody was sought to ensure a proper investigation.

At around 2:42pm, the accused was brought to court under tight security, wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet.

Defence lawyer Alamgir sought bail, arguing that the detention was politically motivated and that his client was not involved. He said the accused would not abscond and requested bail on any condition.

Complainant's counsel Md Abdur Razzaque and others opposed bail, citing specific allegations and a forensic report from the accused's mobile phone. They alleged the act was intended to create unrest ahead of the election and questioned why remand had not been sought, arguing that proper interrogation required it.

When asked by the judge, Sarwar-e-Alam claimed innocence, saying he was nearing retirement and had no reason to risk his career or pension. He said he voluntarily handed over his mobile phone and laptop and fully cooperated with investigators.

The judge also asked whether the victim's device had been seized, but the complainant's lawyers could not confirm. They further argued that it must be determined who else was involved and who accessed the account using the accused's email.

After keeping the order pending, the court later granted bail on a bond of Tk5,000.

Sarwar-e-Alam's wife, Shamima Ara, said her husband had been falsely implicated and would not jeopardise his 32-year career just before retirement.

Earlier, at around 10:30pm yesterday, he was shown arrested in the case.

According to the case statement, Sarwar-e-Alam and 15–20 unidentified individuals allegedly hacked Dr Shafiqur Rahman's official X account at around 5pm on 31 January and posted objectionable content containing misogyny, obscenity, ethnic violence, hate speech and incitement to unrest. The account was restored shortly afterward.