Ex-minister Suranjit's APS directly involved in snatching militants: Police

Police on Tuesday claimed that they have found involvement of the assistant personal secretary (APS) of late former railway minister, Suranjit Sengupta, in snatching two militants away from court premises in broad daylight.

The APS, Omar Faruk Talukder, was arrested six days ago and taken to remand twice for four days where the counter terrorism investigation unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) interrogated him.

Additional commissioner of DMP, Md Asaduzzaman, told Prothom Alo that Omar Faruk was found involved in snatching two death-row convicts away -- Abu Siddique Sohel and Mozzammel Hossain -- from the court premises in Dhaka. Faruk married Sohel's sister. He talked to the wives of Sohel and Mozammel.

However, Md Abdul Awal, the lawyer of Faruk refuted the allegation. He said Omar Faruk is a lawyer by profession. He was conducting a case in the Supreme Court while the two militants were being snatching away. Though he married Tanzila Afroz, a sister of Sohel, in this year, he had no contact with death row convict Sohel. Police arrested him for harassment.    

On 20 November, the two militants were snatched away from the main gate of Dhaka Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court, attacking police. Police filed a case with Kotwali police station under the anti-terrorism act.

Police say they have arrested 15 people, including Omar Faruk and his wife, Tanzila, so far in this lawsuit. They are all in custody now.   

According to the police, they arrested Omar Faruk and his wife on 20 December. The following day he was produced before the court with a plea of a 15-day remand by police. The police claimed Faruk inclined to militancy when he was in prison in 2012 in a graft case.

He helped Ansar Al Islam in different ways after marrying the sister of Abu Siddique Sohel. He would help militants in the guise of advocacy. He directly cooperated in snatching his brother-in-law away from the court.

His first wife called him a militant, said police after analysing the SMS of his cellphone, they added.

In the court, police said Omar Faruk went to Mymensingh with the wife of Abu Siddique Sohel and discussed different issues. He also talked to the wife of another militant.

However, the lawyer of Omar Faruk claimed his client has been accused in a false case for harassment based on the fabricated information of his ex-wife.