DMP refutes claims of Meghna Alam’s abduction, says she was taken into custody legally

Although no specific charges have been filed, a senior police officer says she was detained in response to a complaint filed by a Saudi embassy official

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has refuted claims circulating on social media that model and actress Meghna Alam was abducted after a "break-in" at her home.

Police said that Meghna was taken into safe custody following proper legal procedures.

Although no specific charges have been filed, a senior police officer said on Friday that Meghna was detained in response to a complaint lodged by a senior official at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Dhaka.

In a statement issued by the DMP’s Public Relations Department on Friday afternoon, it said: “Meghna Alam has been taken into safe custody in accordance with legal protocols, based on allegations that she engaged in activities that could endanger national security, spread misinformation about a dignitary with the intent to tarnish diplomatic relations, and conspired to cause economic damage to the country. The claim that she was abducted is untrue. However, she retains the right to seek legal recourse.”

WHAT HAPPENED

On Wednesday night, Meghna was detained from her apartment in Dhaka's Bashundhara Residential Area.

Shortly before her arrest, she went live on Facebook, claiming that “people identifying themselves as police” were attempting to break down her door and enter her home. The livestream, which lasted over 12 minutes, was later deleted from her account, but clips had already circulated widely on social media.

Meghna could not be contacted throughout Thursday, prompting her friends and family to allege that she had been abducted or forcibly disappeared.

A police officer from Vatara Police Station, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Law enforcement, along with local officers, went to Meghna Alam’s residence on Wednesday. She initially refused to open the door. She was eventually detained and taken to Minto Road.”

Later that night, around 10:30pm, the Detective Branch (DB) of the DMP presented Meghna before the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sefat Ullah ordered that she be held in custody for 30 days under the Special Powers Act, following a petition by the DB, according to SI Zakir Hossain of Vatara Police Station’s court prosecution wing.

Meghna, who won the Miss Earth Bangladesh title in 2020, is also the chairperson of the Model and Miss Bangladesh Foundation.