Arafat Rahman Coco’s body reaches Khaleda’s Gulshan office

The body of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s younger son Arafat Rahman Coco has been taken to her Gulshan office.

The coffin carrying the body reached Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a Malaysia Airlines plane at 11:37am on Tuesday.

Coco’s wife, two daughters, uncle Shamim Eskander and senior Khaleda Zia aide Mosaddek Ali Falu were among those who came to Dhaka on the flight.

Several senior BNP leaders were present at the Hazrat Shahzalal International Airport to receive the body and take it to Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office.

Khaleda Zia was waiting for her son’s body to arrive at the office, where she has been living since Jan 3.

Arafat Rahman Coco, sentenced to a six-year jail term for smuggling millions of taka out of the country, died on Saturday due to cardiac failure in Malaysia.

The BNP's Standing Committee members Abdul Moin Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Vice Chairman Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf, Abdullah Al Noman several others received the body at the Dhaka airport.

Plain cloth police, APBN, DB and regular police provided additional security at the time the body was handed over. Journalists were barred from approaching the BNP leaders.

Everyone, including airport employees, was thoroughly searched at airport entry points. Several levels of security fences were set up, while additional police, RAB and Ansar personnel were deployed at the airport.

The body will be kept there for three hours so that people can pay their respects before being taken to the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque for the Janaza.

The BNP had been mourning Coco’s death for the past three days. Prayers and Quran-khwani, too, were held at mosques across the country.

The BNP has sought permission to bury him at the Banani military graveyard but the clearance is yet to come.

Police officials have said they have asked the family to take preparations for the burial at the Banani graveyard.

“We have sought permission as per the rules. It is his right as the son of a former army official,” BNP Vice Chairman Abdullah Al Noman told reporters in the morning.