Inspector Sohel Rana to be brought back from India: DMP chief
Efforts are underway to bring him back, although the process is not easy, he said
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Shafiqul Islam on Sunday said DMP Inspector Sohel Rana who was arrested in neighbouring India will be brought back to the country.
Banani Police Station inspector (investigation) Sohel Rana, also a patron of controversial e-commerce platform E-orange, was arrested by Border Security Force (BSF) in India while attempting to cross the border, reportedly to flee jurisdiction.
A Kochbihar court on Saturday granted seven days remand in a case filed against Sheikh Sohel Rana for crossing the border illegally. The case was filed by Mekhliganj police in West Bengal after the BSF handed him over to the police station.
The DMP commissioner told reporters, "Efforts are underway to bring back Inspector Sohel Rana detained in India, although the process is not easy."
"As a case has been filed against him in India, we are not sure whether he can be brought back. But there are some ways to bring him back. It can be done by the home ministry sending a letter to the Border Security Force of India. It has been done many times before. If we fail to bring him back in this way, we will try to bring him back with the assistance of the foreign ministry, under the mutual legal assistance (MLA) treaty between Indian and Bangladesh," said the DMP Commissioner.
He also said investigations are ongoing into allegations against him.
"Gulshan police has already started investigation into the charges raised against him. Necessary action will be taken if they report against him," Shafiqul Islam told the media.
Sohel was the 10th accused in a case filed on Thursday for embezzlement of money from digital marketplace E-Orange.
On Wednesday, one Mohammad Russel, on behalf of 17 customers of E-orange, appealed to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court to record an embezzlement case of around Tk89 lakh.
The court then recorded his statement, ordered Gulshan police to register the case, asking for updates in 24 hours.
In the case statement, Russel said that Sohel Rana may try to leave the country anytime since there was no travel restriction on him.
Meanwhile, the DMP authorities transferred Inspector Sohel Rana from the Banani Police Station on Sunday.
A press release signed by DMP Commissioner Shafiqul Islam confirmed the matter stating that 21 policemen, including Inspector Sohel, have been transferred from their previous posts.
Alamgir Gazi, inspector (Investigation) of Uttara East Police Station, was appointed to the Banani Police Station as a replacement.
Meanwhile, the BSF also seized four debit cards, $20, €15, two smartphones with SIM cards, and a few medicines from Sohel Rana's possession.
According to Indian media reports, the inspector was planning to go to Kathmandu in Nepal.
The policeman reportedly crossed the India-Bangladesh border with the help of a Bangladeshi human trafficker, paying him Bangladeshi Tk10,000, said the BSF North Bengal frontier force.
The border force also said he crossed the international border around 12.30pm on Friday.
He was placed under suspension with 21 other police personnel from 2003-2008 and his suspension was revoked in 2008, the BSF said.
Sohel Rana joined the DMP as a sub-inspector in 2003.
