The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Syed Muhammad Yunus, 49, the millionaire businessman, accused in different criminal cases was put under 4 days' remand for interrogation Sunday. The hearing on remand prayer against two arrested cops was deferred on Tuesday.

Court sources said, Sub inspectors Shahabuddin, and Mosharraf Hossain, investigation officer and court inspector in charge respectively, appealed on behalf of the prosecution for putting Yunus under seven days remand for interrogation about the cases lodged against him and bringing out facts about his associates.

They said Yunus was wanted for long time for corruption charges. But he went into hiding after anti-corruption drives of the government started.

More than fifty lawyers defended Yunus against the remand prayer. They climed, said the cases against Yunus were fictitious and he was physically and mentally unable to face the pressure of interrogation.

Munim Hassan, magistrate of the Sadar Upazila Court, granted 4 days remand against Yunus and ordered to interrogate him cautiously.

If may be mentioned that Yunus was first arrested in mid-September in Dhaka but later released as no criminal case against him was found at that time.

Then he was arrested for the second time from a flat of Purana Paltan area of Dhaka by Rapid Action Battalion on October 25 and handed over to Barisal RAB-8 unit on Friday. He was handed over to Barisal Kotwali Police Station after primary interrogation on the same day.

Police produced him before Sadar Upazila magistrate court on Saturday noon under section 16(2) of Emergency Power Rules against a cheating case lodged by Jahangir Hossain, owner of Color Art Point of Dhaka.

The press owner lodged that case on September 2007 with Barisal Kotwali Police Station and alleged that Yunus, breaching the contract, did not pay Tk.4 lakh against the printing bills of Ambiya Memorial Hospital owned by him.

Yunus also accused in three cases lodged against him, his wife BNP leader Jannatunessa Nayon and others for defalcations of Tk. 25 crore taken as loan from Rupali Bank by giving false documents and influencing Hafiz Ibrahim, former BNP lawmaker and a director of the bank.

He was granted bail in these cases by the higher court. Allegations against Yunus are also under investigation by the task forces of anti-corruption department. In another case Md. Alauddin and Shahidul Islam, two constables of Bogura Road Police Post of the city and arrested as co-accused in a case of hijacking, were produced before the same court with seven day remand prayer on Sunday.

The magistrate, fixing the date of hearing of remand prayer on Tuesday, ordered to send the cops to jail.

Court sources said those two cops associated with the crime of snatching from Alamgir Hossain, Tk.50 thousand a bus passenger, by a group of snatchers in front of Barisal B M College on Tuesday evening.

Alamgir complained to BMP authority on Thursday that those two constables on duty in that area did not come forward to save him from the snatchers and refused to help him in lodging case. He alleged that the cops were involved with the snatching plot.

BMP authority closing and suspending those two cops on Friday, arrested them on Saturday after facts found against them in primary investigation.

On primary investigation, BMP authority found the allegation genuine and suspended and arrested them.