Police fail to locate wanted BNP leader, yet he appears on stage at police event
An arrest warrant has been pending for six months against Ali Ahmed (Raju), the joint convener of Rupnagar Thana BNP, in an embezzlement case. While police in Bogura, where the warrant was issued, claim they cannot find him, Ahmed has been regularly attending public event in Dhaka, even appearing on stage at a police event.
Ali Ahmed, a native of Bogura, resides in the Turag Thana area of the capital. On 28 April, he was seen on the stage of an ‘Open House Day’ organised by Rupnagar Thana police. The event, held at the Rupnagar field, was attended by State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Huq and senior officials of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
The plaintiff in the case alleged that political influence is the reason Ahmed remains free despite the warrant.
The case was filed on 29 November last year in a Bogura court by Md Mustak Ta-sin, another resident of the district. Ahmed, identified in the case as the Managing Director of Twintex Industries Limited, is accused of embezzling Tk 14.95 million (1.49 crore) under the guise of business investment.
The court issued an arrest warrant against him on 1 January. According to Bogura court sources, there are a total of eight cases against Ahmed in the district, including one in which he has already been convicted. On 4 May, a newspaper notice was published ordering him to appear in court within 15 days, but he failed to comply.
The warrant from the Bogura court was forwarded to Turag Police Station in Dhaka. Mustak Ta-sin, the plaintiff, said he contacted the police several times but the BNP leader was not apprehended. He eventually filed a written complaint with the Police Headquarters on 9 March. Despite this, the accused remains at large and was recently seen sharing a stage with a state minister and top police officials.
When asked how he attended a police event while being a fugitive, Ali Ahmed told Prothom Alo over the phone on Monday (22 June) afternoon that he was previously unaware of the case. He claimed the plaintiff had kept the matter secret. He said he only learned of the warrant last week after receiving a call from the police station and has since applied for anticipatory bail from the High Court.
Mostafizur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Turag Police Station, claimed he was unaware of the matter. However, there is no scope for an accused to receive leniency based on political identity. He noted that while the government provides directives for 'political cases,' there is no provision to waive warrants in cases related to financial debt or general criminal offences.
Despite the OC’s statement, the plaintiff, in his complaint to the Ministry of Home Affairs, alleged that the Turag OC ignored repeated information regarding the suspect’s location. He further alleged that the police remain inactive due to the suspect's political identity.
Seeking immediate police action, Mustak Ta-sin told Prothom Alo, "The police are not arresting Ali Ahmed Raju for political reasons. Taking advantage of this, he is now threatening to harm me."