Moazzem Hossain, the former OC of Feni’s Sonagazi police, was evading arrest in a bid to secure anticipatory bail from High Court in a Digital Security Act case for filming and circulating a video statement of murdered Feni madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi.
Police have arrested the fugitive officer from Dhaka on Sunday (Jun 16), 20 days after a warrant was out from the Bangladesh Cyber Tribunal.
He was held from the near the High Court in the city, said Deputy Commissioner Maruf Hossain Sardar of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police‘s (DMP) Ramna Division.
“He was arrested near the court premises and now being kept at the Shahbagh police station waiting to be handed over to the Feni police,” he said.
Moazzem was the officer-in-charge (OC) of Sonagazi when Nusrat pressed charges of sexual harassment against her madrasa principal Siraj-ud-Daula in March.
The police officer had recorded the madrasa student’s statement on his mobile phone, which was later released on the social media amid widespread protest over a fatal arson attack on Nusrat in April allegedly by the principal’s followers, who was already in jail on sexual abuse charges.
The video was later released on social media amidst widespread protest over a deadly arson attack on Nusrat allegedly by followers of Siraj, who had already landed in jail on the sexual abuse charges, in April.
A Supreme Court lawyer started a case against Moazzem in Dhaka under the Digital Security Act, when the Police Investigation of Bureau (PBI) was ordered to probe the allegations.
On May 27, the Cyber Tribunal ordered his arrest after the PBI investigation found evidence of allegations.
The police officer moved the High Court the next day for anticipatory bail, but the matter is yet to be heard.
On Sunday, Moazzem had gone to his lawyer’s office at the court premises and was apprehended as soon as he came out, according to police officers involved in the raid.
They said that apart from a team of the DMP’s Shahbagh police station, a group of Detective Branch (DB) officers were on Moazzem’s trail.
An officer with the Shahbagh police told Bangla Tribune that Moazzem was being followed by the DB team when he had gone to his counsel’s office in the High Court.
“He, however, managed to hoodwink the DB personnel and leave the court premises. Later, the Shahbagh police arrested him,” he said on condition of anonymity.
A Detective Branch officer, who was part of the team following the fugitive police officer, said that they had a hard time confirming Moazzem’s identity at first as he had grown a beard and a moustache to change his look.
According to the documents of the case filed under the Digital Security Act, Nusrat went to Sonagazi model police station to file a case against her madrasa principal Siraj on Mar 27 for sexually assaulting her the day before.
Moazzem recorded a video of her statement — without her consent — asking her offensive and insulting questions.
Moazzem, whose voice was audible in the video, appeared unconcerned about Nusrat’s complaints and said the sexual assault was not a major incident. He had told Nusrat to go home and assured her he would take steps in accordance with her written complaint. However, no action was taken against Siraj.
Nusrat, 18 — an Alim examinee — was set on fire by Sirajuddaula’s followers on Apr 6 as she refused to withdraw the sexual abuse charges her family had filed against him. She died of burn injuries four days later.