Arrest warrant issued against actress Pori Moni
A court has issued an arrest warrant against actress Pori Moni in an attempted murder case filed by businessman Nasir Uddin Mahmud.
Senior Judicial Magistrate of Dhaka Mahfuzur Rahman passed the order today, Wednesday (4 November).
Pori Moni's lawyer, Nilanjana Suravi, confirmed the development to Prothom Alo.
She said Pori Moni could not appear before the court today due to an allergy-related illness. Her lawyer had filed a petition seeking an adjournment and a new date for the next hearing. However, the court rejected the petition and ordered an arrest warrant against her client.
Court sources said the plaintiff in the case appeared before the court today and sought cancellation of the accused persons' bail. No lawyer representing the accused was present at the hearing. Following the hearing, the court cancelled their bail and ordered the issuance of arrest warrants.
According to court sources, Pori Moni's lawyer, Nilanjana, stated in the petition for an adjournment that the case was scheduled for recording witness testimony today. However, the accused, Pori Moni, was unable to appear in court due to an allergy-related illness, making an adjournment necessary. Otherwise, she would suffer irreparable loss, the petition said.
Nasir Uddin filed the case with a Dhaka court on 6 July 2022. According to the complaint, Pori Moni and her associates consume alcohol and visit various prestigious clubs when they get the opportunity. They drink alcohol and take away bottles without paying for them. The complaint also alleged that Pori Moni threatened to harass people by filing false cases through police officers known to her.
The complaint stated that shortly after midnight on 9 June 2021, the accused entered the Savar Boat Club and used a washroom on the second floor.
They later sat inside the club and consumed alcohol. At around 1:15am, when the plaintiff and his associate Shah Shahidul Alam were leaving the club, Pori Moni allegedly called Nasir Uddin and asked him to sit with them for a while.
At one point, Pori Moni allegedly tried to attract Nasir Uddin through obscene gestures and pressured him to give her a bottle of Blue Label whisky free of charge. When he refused, she allegedly abused him verbally.
During an argument between the plaintiff and the accused, Pori Moni allegedly threw a serving glass at Nasir Uddin and also hurled her mobile phone at him. As a result, Nasir Uddin sustained injuries to his head and chest. The complaint further alleged that Pori Moni and her associates assaulted him, threatened to kill him and vandalised property.
On 18 March 2024, investigation officer Mohammad Monir Hossain, an inspector with the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), Dhaka district, submitted a report to the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court in Dhaka, stating that the allegations of assault and intimidation against Pori Moni and her costume designer, Junaid Baghdadi Jimmy, also known as Jim, had been substantiated.
However, the investigation found no evidence supporting the allegations against another accused, Fatema Tuz Jannat Boni. On 26 January last year, the same court framed charges against the two accused and ordered the commencement of their trial.
Meanwhile, over the same incident, Pori Moni filed a case with Savar Police Station against the plaintiff and another person, accusing them of attempted rape and murder. The case is currently pending before Dhaka's Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal No. 9.