DHAKA: The High Court has issued a rule asking the authorities why the three owners of ‘Apan Jewelers’ will not be granted bail in five cases filed by the customs intelligence.

The High Court bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim issued the rule after hearing on separate petitions on Wednesday (November 22).

The court asked the government and the authorities to reply to the rule within two weeks.  
 
A Dhaka court on October 24 sent the three owners of the Apan Jewellers-- Dildar Ahmed Selim, Gulzar Ahmed and Azad Ahmed-- to jail in the five cases on charges of currency trafficking, and other allegations.

Dildar Ahmed Selim is father of the Banani double-rape case prime accused Safat Ahmed, while Gulzar Ahmed and Azad Ahmed are his two brothers.

On August 12, the Customs Intelligence Investigation Directorate (CIID) filed the five cases with Gulshan, Dhanmondi, Ramna and Uttara police stations in the city.

The cases were filed over huge amount of gold seizure from separate branches of the Apan Jewellers. The cases were recorded under the Money Laundering Act and the Customs Act on charges of concealing information in their evidence about 15 maunds of gold and diamond which were smuggled in the country.

The CIID officials seized the 15 maunds of gold and diamonds from different showrooms of Apan Jewellers upon specific allegations following the rape incident in Banani. Later, the seized gold had been deposited to the Bangladesh Bank.

The Apan Jewellers came in the limelight after rape of two private university girls in Banani. The rape incident happened in the Raintree hotel on March 28.

One of the victims filed a case with Banani police station on May 6 accusing five people, including Safat Ahmed. The police had managed to arrest the five rape accused.

BDST: 1730 HRS, NOV 22, 2017
AH/EHJ/SMS