Charge sheet filed against nine people over attack on Bernicat’s convoy
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The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has submitted a supplementary charge sheet in a case filed over an attack on former US ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat.
The charge sheet was submitted to the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court of Dhaka on last September 19 five years after the attack, according to local news portals.
The accused in the case are Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar’s brother-in-law Mohammad Ishtiaq Mahmud, Mohammadpur Thana Chhatra League President Naimul Hasan alias Russell, Firoz Mahmud, Mir Amjad Hossain, Saju Islam, Rajibul Islam, Shahidul Alam Khan, Siam, and Oli Ahmed.
Police said their preliminary investigation has found the involvement of the nine accused in the attack.
Ishtiaq Mahmud, one of the accused, is currently a fugitive. An application for his arrest warrant has been submitted, while the remaining accused are currently on bail.
On the night of 4 August 2018, the vehicle carrying the then US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat came under attack in Mohammadpur area in Dhaka. On that night, Marcia Bernicat went to residence of Badiul Alam Majumdar to attend a dinner programme.
Shujan Secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar filed the case with Mohammadpur Police Station on August 10, 2018, over the attack.
On January 18, 2021, the investigation officer of the case, Police Inspector Md Abdur Rouf, submitted the charge sheet to the court accusing nine people.
The nine accused were formally charged on March 1, 2022, and the trial commenced on March 28 of the previous year.
On December 4, six witnesses testified in the case. During their statements, witnesses Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Khushi Begum, and Mahbubul Alam Majumder mentioned the name of Ishtiaq Mahmud.
Later, on December 27, the court lifted the case from the deposition stage and sent it to the CMM Court in Dhaka to take necessary steps for further investigation.
On January 1, the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rezaul Karim Chowdhury ordered a further investigation into the case.