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A Dhaka court has granted bail to model and chairperson of the Miss Bangladesh Foundation Meghna Alam, in a case filed by Dhanmondi Model Police Station, which accuses her of targeting foreign diplomats in a series of romance scams.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sanaullah passed the order on Monday.
The model’s lawyer submitted a bail plea, arguing that no specific allegations were made against her.
Meghna, who was crowned Miss Earth Bangladesh on Oct 5, 2020, was taken into custody on April 9 from her residence in Dhaka’s Bashundhara area.
Before her arrest, she streamed a live video on Facebook in which Meghna claimed that people identifying themselves as police were trying to force their way into her residence. The livestream ended shortly after she was taken into custody.
The next day, she was produced before a Dhaka court, which ordered a 30-day detention for her under the Special Powers Act.
Following widespread public criticism of her arrest, Rezaul Karim Mallick, the head of the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, was removed from his position on April 12.
Subsequently, the High Court issued a rule asking the authorities to explain why Meghna’s detention under the Special Powers Act should not be declared illegal and why she should not be released.
On April 17, Meghna was officially named as an arrestee in the Dhanmondi "honey trap" case.
Case documents allege that Meghna, her associate Dewan Samir, and several unidentified individuals are part of a sophisticated fraud ring that uses attractive women to lure foreign diplomats, their representatives, and wealthy businessmen into romantic relationships with the intent to extort money.