Actress Shomi Kaiser arrested in Dhaka

Police said she was arrested from a residence in Uttara without specifying the charges against her

Police have arrested Shomi Kaiser, actress and former president of the e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB), in Dhaka.

She was apprehended from a residence in Uttara late on Tuesday night, said Uttara West Police Station Hafizur Rahman, without specifying the charges against her.

Following her arrest, Shomi was taken to Uttara East Police Station, according to the station's chief Mohibullah.

Shomi, the daughter of martyred intellectual Shahidullah Kaiser and former MP Panna Kaiser, was a popular actress in the 1990s and later moved into production.

She became involved in Awami League politics and served for many years as the president of the e-CAB and as an FBCCI director.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on Aug 5, Shomi resigned from her role at e-CAB on Aug 14.

Earlier this year, she had sought the party’s ticket to run for the Feni-3 constituency in the 12th national election but did not receive it.

On Oct 14, a defamation suit seeking Tk 1 billion in damages was filed against her in a Magura court by Rezwan Kabir, a Swechchhasebak Dal activist. The case accuses her of making derogatory comments about BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman, including branding him a "national traitor".

The court directed the Jhenidah Police Bureau of Investigation to look into the allegations.

In a separate case on Oct 9, BNP activist Syed Hasan Mahmud filed a complaint in a Dhaka court accusing Shomi, along with deposed prime minister Hasina, singer and former MP Momtaz, former minister Tarana Halim and 13 others, of attempted murder in June 2022.

After the change in government, several cases were filed against prominent cultural figures associated with the previous Awami League regime. Recently, Kaushik Hossain Taposh, managing director of Gaan Bangla, was also arrested in Uttara.