Biman hijacking attempt: Film actress Shimla quizzed for over three hours

The anti-terrorism unit of police has interrogated film actress Shamsur Nahar Shimla, the second wife of Polash Ahmed who was killed in a commando raid after an attempt to hijack a Biman plane.

Chattogram Bureaubdnews24.com
Published : 12 Sept 2019, 12:38 PM
Updated : 12 Sept 2019, 04:13 PM

Inspector Rajesh Barua, the investigation officer of the case, questioned her from 10am to 1:30 pm on Thursday at the Chattogram Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Unit office.

Asked about the interrogation, Shimla told reporters that she did not know why Polash had attempted to hijack the aircraft.

“We were divorced. After the marriage, it seemed he had a mental problem as a result of which I divorced him. ”

On Feb 24, an attempt was made to seize a Chattogram-bound Boeing-737 jet of Biman Bangladesh Airlines in mid-air. After two tense hours, the hijacker died in a commando operation in Shah Amanat International Airport.

His second wife was the National Film Award-winning actress Shimla. Their relationship hit the rocks around three months before the incident.

After allegedly holding the pilot at gun-point, the hijacker demanded to speak with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina about “his wife”.

Later a CID forensic report found that he was carrying a toy pistol.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh had filed a case accusing Polash and some persons with the Patenga Police Station on Feb 28 in connection with the incident.

The counter-terror unit of police has been tasked with investigating the cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Anti-Aviation Crime Prevention Act.

As part of the investigation of the cases, a team of police’s counter terrorism unit interrogated 10 people including Polash’s relatives and neighbuors, father Pyar Jahan, mother Renu Begum and uncle Deen Islam.

Shimla, who was in India for a film shoot, will also be questioned, the investigating officer had said after incident.

After the interrogation on Thursday, the investigating officer told bdnews24.com, "Shimla returned home on Aug 25. She was then contacted. She has been questioned on various issues as part of the investigation. ”

SHIMLA RECOUNTS DAYS WITH POLASH

The investigator narrated what Shimla talked about her relationship with Polash Ahmed during the interrogation.

The actress was introduced to Polash at a producer's birthday organised `at a coffee shop in Gulshan on Sept 12, 2017 when she first learned that Polash was an expatriate living in England and worked as a producer. They exchanged their mobile phone numbers at the event.

The two then met at different times at different places. At one point, Shimla proposed to tie the knot with Polash. He accepted the proposal and they were married on Mar 6, 2018.

Around eight months into their marriage, Shimla sent a divorce notice to Polash after finding out that he had lied to her.

Polash had identified himself as a British citizen and his father as a businessman in England. He had told her that they had a home in Uttara, which they had rented out. They also had a duplex house that is under construction in Narayanganj.

“These are all lies,” she cried while speaking with the investigator.

In their first meeting, Polash said his name is Mahi B. Later, she knew that his real name was Polash. “At first, I knew he had some good productions. That’s why I offered to marry him despite the fact that he was younger than me,” the actress told the investigator.

Shimla also said that they were married on Mar 7 without the consent of their families. After marriage, they started living in a rented house in Banani. Polash sometimes would insist on her making their marriage public at a news conference, but she refused.

Fifteen days into the marriage, Shimla was expected to go to India to shoot a film. At that time, Polash told her that he would move to England. And Shimla asked Polash to leave the house .

Four months into the marriage, Polash went to Shimla's residence in Mumbai and told her that he was travelling to England and making a stopover in Mumbai. But when he spent three days there, Shimla wanted to see his passport, but he refused, leading to a strained relationship between them. Later, Polash went to Mumbai once more to meet Shimla.

At different times, Polash pretended to show her that he was in England by staying at a posh residential hotel.

In September of the same year, Shimla came back to the country and accompanied Polash to his ancestral home in Narayanganj. There, she discovered what Polash had told her was all a lie. From then on, Shimla started to avoid Polash.

One day, Polash called her and asked her to meet him at Gulshan. On that day, he had already taken sedative drugs. When he collapsed on the ground, people took him to a hospital.

After that incident, Polash phoned and texted her several times, but she ignored.

On being harassed, Shimla once went to Banani Police Station to lodge complaint against him. However, she thought better of it at the suggestion of police and because of her affection towards Polash.

In November, she divorced Polash but he called her several times later on.

The actor learned about the Biman hijacking incident from the Indian media and YouTube, according to the investigator.