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Published : 14 Sep 2025, 02:20 AM
A Bangladeshi-origin US citizen arrested in Dhaka for “suspicious movement” has been sent to jail after police claimed to have gathered information on an alleged conspiracy against the interim government during initial questioning.
Police identified him as 55-year-old Enayet Karim Chowdhury, who was detained on Saturday morning while moving around in a car on Minto Road. He was shown arrested under the Special Powers Act.
Later, he was produced before a Dhaka court where Metropolitan Magistrate Dilruba Afroz Tithi ordered him into jail. His remand hearing has been scheduled for Monday.
Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam told bdnews24.com that Enayet holds a US passport.
“His behaviour raised suspicion, so he was arrested under Section 54. After preliminary interrogation, he was sent to court. Further inquiries are being carried out about him,” he added.
Based on the initial questioning, Ramna Model Police applied for a seven-day custody.
According to the petition, Enayet travelled from New York to Dhaka on Sept 6, arriving at Shahjalal International Airport at 9:50am on a Qatar Airways flight. He first stayed two days at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka, later moving to Gulshan.
The petition also noted that Karim left Bangladesh in 1988, obtained a US passport in 2004, and currently holds no valid Bangladeshi passport or national ID.
Court records show Sub-Inspector (SI) Shafiqul Islam from the Prosecution Division submitted the case details, while SI Azizul Hakim from Ramna Police sought remand.
The plea claimed Enayet told investigators he was a “contracted agent of a foreign intelligence agency”.
He reportedly said the interim government in Bangladesh was “in a fragile position” and “distanced from the Army”, and that his mission was to “work towards forming a new national or caretaker government”.
Police alleged Enayet held secret meetings with government policymakers, senior officials, political leaders, and influential business figures after arriving in Dhaka.
The petition also said, “He admitted to collecting information on the positions of senior officials and political leaders in the current context and passing it on to his contracted intelligence handlers.”
The remand plea described him as “engaged in efforts to destabilise public security and sovereignty by acting as an agent of a foreign intelligence service to overthrow the legal interim government of Bangladesh.”
