Trial begins in drug case against Pori Moni
Pori Moni will be on bail during the trial, as ordered by Dhaka Special Judge's Court Judge Mohammad Nazrul Islam on Wednesday (5 January)
A court has framed charges against three people, including popular Dhallywood actor Shamsunnahar Smriti, better known by her screen name Pori Moni, in a case filed by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) six months ago under the Narcotics Control Act.
Pori Moni will be on bail during the trial, as ordered by Dhaka Special Judge's Court Judge Mohammad Nazrul Islam on Wednesday. The first hearing in the case will take place on 1 February.
The formal trial of the case started with the formation of charges. The two other accused in the case are Ashraful Islam Dipu and Kabir Hossain.
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Pori Moni appeared before the court in the drug case at 10:30 am on Wednesday; lawyer Nilanjana Rifat Survi represented her.
Last year, the investigating officer of the case, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of police Inspector Kazi Mostafa Kamal, filed the chargesheet against the three accused.
RAB arrested Pori Moni from her house in Banani after a raid "based on specific information" on 4 August last year. On the same day, she was taken to the RAB headquarters and questioned.
The next day, Pori Moni, film producer Nazrul Islam Raj and their two accomplices Ashraful Islam Dipu and Sabuj Ali were taken to Banani police station.
RAB then filed a case against Pori Moni and Dipu with the Banani police station under the Narcotics Control Act. Separate cases were also filed against Raj and his associate Sabuj Ali.
When Pori Moni was produced in court on the same day in the Narcotics Control Act case, she was remanded for four days and was remanded two more times.
The actor was released from Kashimpur Central Women's Jail in Gazipur on 1 September last year, almost a month after her arrest.
According to case sources, Pori Moni has been using drugs since 2016; and has built a minibar at home and used to have regular parties there.
Pori Moni came into the news on 8 June last year after raising allegations of rape and attempted murder at the Dhaka Boat Club. She filed a case on 14 June against businessmen Nasir Uddin Mahmud, Tuhin Siddiqui Omi and four others over the incident.
Police arrested Nasir and Omi in the case. Less than two months later, the RAB arrested Pori in a drug case.
