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A court has given police four days to question Momtaz Begum, popular singer and former MP for Manikganj-2, in their custody in connection with the murder of hawker Md Sagar in Dhaka's Mirpur during last year's July Uprising.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana issued the remand order on Tuesday following a hearing on a police petition, reports bdnews24.com.
Monirul Islam, a sub-inspector from Mirpur Model Police Station and the case's investigating officer, produced Momtaz in court and sought a seven-day remand for interrogation.
After hearing the petition, the magistrate granted a four-day remand.
Momtaz was apprehended by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in the capital’s Dhanmondi on Monday night, according to spokesman Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Talebur Rahman.
Momtaz was then formally arrested in the Sagar murder case.
According to the case dossier, hawker Sagar took part in the July Uprising on Jul 19 in the Mirpur-10 roundabout area. It alleges that the suspects attacked and fired upon the protesters that day at 4:30pm. Sagar was shot in the chest.
His mother, Beauty Akhtar, found his body at a private hospital at 3am the following day.
On Nov 17, Beauty filed a case at Mirpur Model Police Station over the incident. Deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 242 others were named in the case, alongside 250-400 unnamed suspects. Momtaz is suspect No. 49 in the case.
The three-time MP has been accused in several cases filed in Manikganj following the fall of the Awami League government.
Momtaz became a member of the 9th parliament in 2008 on Awami League’s nomination. She was later elected with the boat symbol.
However, the singer lost to another Awami League leader who stood as an independent candidate in the 12th parliamentary election.
She has been named in several cases filed over the deaths during the mass uprising.
The DMP official, however, has yet to clarify the specific charges against the lawmaker.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) of Bangladesh Bank, has already frozen her bank account.