Coco’s body reaches Baitul Mukarram National Mosque for Janaza

The body of BNP chief Khaleda Zia's son Arafat Rahman Coco has been taken to the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque for his Namaz-e-Janaza after the Asr prayers.

Preparations have been made for the burial at the Banani graveyard on Tuesday, according to the Dhaka North City Corporation.

Earlier, authorities had turned down the family's plea for a burial at the military graveyard.

The Malaysian Airlines flight carrying Coco's remains landed Dhaka around 11:30pm.

The casket was then taken to the BNP chief's Gulshan office around 2:45pm. Khaleda has been living there since Jan 3.

The coffin was taken to a room on the ground floor and minutes later, a grieving Khaleda was brought downstairs by her brothers' wives.

bdnews24.com's Chief Political Correspondent Sumon Mahmud reported from the scene that Khaleda stood silently for a moment before breaking down in tears.

No one except relatives and senior BNP leaders were allowed to be in the room. Coco's in-laws as well as his brother Tarique Rahman's in-laws were also present.

The coffin was kept there for an hour and Khaleda stayed there for around 35 minutes. She prayed for her son sitting in front of the coffin.

It was closed in front of her and a tearful Khaleda bade the final farewell to his youngest son.

The ambulance carrying the body left for the Baitul Mukarram around 2:45pm.

Convicted for smuggling millions of taka out of the country, Coco died on Saturday due to a cardiac failure.

He was arrested along with his mother in 2007 from their cantonment home. A year later he went to Thailand for medical treatment after being released on parole.

Coco then moved to Malaysia, the Thai ambassador to Dhaka had told the media in 2011.

The same year a Dhaka court found him guilty of smuggling money to Singapore when his mother was the prime minister.

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