Two Singapore returnees remanded for 3 days over suspected militant links

A court has placed two Bangladeshis, recently returned from Singapore, on a three-day remand each over their suspected involvement with militant organizations. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana passed the order on Thursday (July 9).

The remanded individuals have been identified as Shahedul Islam and Rishad Tayani. State Counsel Muhammad Shamsuddoha Suman confirmed the matter.

Earlier, the case investigating officer, Airport Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Ashraful Alam, produced them before the court with a five-day remand prayer after showing them arrested under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

According to the remand petition, law enforcement agencies in Singapore detained the duo during their stay there on suspicion of involvement with terrorist organizations. Later on Wednesday, Singapore Police handed them over to the Immigration Police at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Based on information from the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, the Airport Police took them into custody.

The investigating officer added in the petition that during primary interrogation, the accused admitted to their involvement with various banned militant outfits in Singapore. The remand is necessary to ascertain whether they are linked with any banned terrorist groups in Bangladesh, whether they operated extremist activities through electronic media, their sources of funding, and if they have any connections with international militant networks.

The state prosecution argued in court that interrogation under remand is essential to uncover if anyone else is involved in the incident and how they became entangled in these activities. Furthermore, a thorough investigation is required in the interest of preserving the image of Bangladeshi migrant workers abroad.

No defense lawyer was present for the accused in court. During the hearing, when the judge asked Rishad Tayani about the reason for his detention in Singapore, he stated that he was arrested for making a Facebook post regarding an individual named 'Farabi'.

Following the hearing, the court granted a three-day remand for both accused.