Sylhet industrialist Ragib Ali, son convicted in second fraud charges

A Sylhet court has convicted industrial Ragib Ali and his son Abdul Hye of fraud for editing and publishing a newspaper while being fugitives.

Sylhet Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 9 March 2017, 08:53 AM
Updated : 9 March 2017, 08:53 AM

The two have been sentenced to a year in prison each and slapped a Tk 5,000 fine or else will have to spend another month in jail.

The court of Sylhet's Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Saifuzzaman Hero delivered the verdict on Thursday in the case filed by a Sunamganj-based journalist.

Prosecutor Mahfuzur Rahman said the sentences came in line with the penal code's Section 417.

Section 417 of the Penal Code

Whoever cheats shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both. 

Defence counsels said they would decide on their next move after receiving a copy of the verdict.

Ragib and his son fled to India hours after a court issued warrants for them on Aug 10 last year in two cases over forging land ministry documents to grab a tea estate.

On Sep 8, Sunamganj-based journalist Giyas Uddin Talukder filed the case.

Talukder, a founding member of the Chhatak Press Club in Sunamganj, said in his case that Ragib Ali and his son have been editing and publishing Bengali newspaper 'Daily Sylheter Daak' while absconding.

Ragib Ali headed the editors' panel while his son Abdul Hye was the editor.

On Nov 12, the immigration police at Sylhet's Zakiganj arrested Hye while entering Bangladesh.

Ragib Ali was arrested in India on Nov 24 while trying to stay in the country after his visa expired. He was brought back to Bangladesh the same day.

The father and son have been convicted of forging land ministry documents to grab temporality of a tea estate and sentenced to 14 years in jail each.

The trial in another case over embezzling of Tk 10 billion from the state coffer has been completed, but it has been halted upon a High Court order.