Police to seek remand for controversial preacher Mufti Kazi Ibrahim after arrest

Police are preparing a case against Mufti Kazi Ibrahim, a controversial Islamic orator, under the Digital Security Act following his arrest.

He will be taken to court for a remand hearing on Wednesday, according to Harunor Rashid, joint commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Ibrahim was picked up by detective police from his home on Zakir Hossain Road in Mohammadpur on Tuesday morning.

DMP Commissioner Shafiqul Islam said the so-called preacher, who caught the attention of netizens for his controversial remarks on various issues, including the coronavirus vaccine, had been brought in for questioning.

Kazi Ibrahim recently made "very aggressive" and "unscientific" comments on a number of issues, including the vaccine, said Shafiqul.

His claims that 'women are growing beards' and 'men's voices are changing' due to the coronavirus vaccination have made waves on social media.

In one of his lectures, he also set out a "mathematical formula" for the development of the coronavirus vaccine.

In an interview with BBC Bangla earlier this year, he said that the 'formula' for the vaccine came to an expatriate in a 'dream' and he passed it on to Ibrahim.